The D/C medical abbreviation has two meanings that point in very different directions: discharge, as in sending a patient home, and discontinue, as in stopping a medicine or treatment. Because one shorthand covers both, the national medication safety group ISMP flags it as error prone, and many hospitals ask staff to write the full word instead.
You may still see d/c in older records, nurse notes and discharge paperwork. This page explains each meaning, the kind of mistake the overlap causes, and how to read a d/c line when you meet one.
At a glance
Stands for
Discharge; discontinueSafety status
Flagged as error prone by ISMPSafer to write
The full word: discharge or discontinueWritten as
D/C, d/c, DC, dcWhere you see it
Orders, nursing notes, discharge summariesDo not confuse with
DC as a credential, doctor of chiropractic
Discharge medical abbreviation: the first meaning
As a discharge abbreviation, D/C marks the point when a patient leaves a hospital, emergency department or program. Notes say things like D/C home, D/C to rehab or anticipate D/C tomorrow. The discharge summary, sometimes called a D/C summary, gives the reason for the stay, what was done and the plan after leaving.
D/C can also describe removing a device. Nurses may chart IV d/c'd, catheter d/c'd, which in this case means taken out. Here the word is closer to discontinue, which shows how fluid the shorthand is.
Medical abbreviation for discontinue: the second meaning
When used as the medical abbreviation for discontinue, d/c tells staff to stop something: a medicine, an IV fluid, a diet order, a monitor. An order might read d/c heparin drip or d/c telemetry. Stopping the wrong thing, or stopping it too early, can matter a great deal for some treatments.
Order sheet: "D/C warfarin." Did the writer mean stop warfarin now, or that warfarin is a discharge medicine to continue at home? The order alone cannot say, which is exactly why safety groups object to it.
Why the d/c medical abbreviation is on the error prone list
ISMP lists D/C because discharge and discontinue lead to opposite actions. A list of medicines followed by d/c, written at the time a patient goes home, can be read as stop all of these when the writer meant these are the discharge medicines. The reverse mix up also happens.
| What was written | Possible reading | Safer to write |
|---|---|---|
| d/c meds | Stop the medicines, or the discharge medicine list | discontinue meds, or discharge medications |
| d/c foley | Remove the urinary catheter | remove urinary catheter |
| plan: d/c | Send home, or stop current treatment | plan: discharge home |
The shorter Joint Commission list leaves D/C off, but many facilities add it to their own banned list.
How to read d/c when you see it
Look at what follows the letters. A place, such as home, a facility or a time of leaving, points to discharge. A medicine, a fluid, a device or a test points to discontinue or removal. If both readings still fit, ask the writer before acting.
Patients reading a discharge sheet should go by the plain word list of medicines to take and to stop. If any line says d/c next to a medicine you have been told to keep taking, ask the pharmacist or nurse before leaving.
Frequently asked questions
Does D/C mean discharge or discontinue?
It can mean either, which is the problem. Context usually helps, but safety groups recommend writing the full word to avoid confusion.
Is D/C banned in hospitals?
ISMP flags it as error prone. The Joint Commission keeps a shorter do-not-use list that leaves it off, though many hospitals ban it locally.
What does IV d/c'd mean?
It means the IV line was taken out. Nurses chart it when a catheter or other device is removed.
What is the medical abbreviation for discharge?
D/C or DC is often used, but writing discharge in full is safer. A discharge summary may be labeled D/C summary in older records.
What should I do if my discharge papers say d/c next to a medicine?
Ask your pharmacist or nurse to confirm before you leave. They can tell you whether it means stop the medicine or continue it at home.