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Rewrite surgery discharge instructions in plain words

Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Your patient, Rosa Delgado, is going home after hand surgery, and her discharge sheet is full of medical shorthand. Rewrite it as exactly 7 numbered steps in everyday words, with when to call the clinic as step 1, under 130 words, in plain text so it prints cleanly. Use only what's on the sheet, follow the surgeon's latest correction, and add no medicine details. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Just saying "explain this simply". The AI picks the shape, often a long sheet with headings and sub-bullets that is hard to follow at home. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 7 numbered steps, one sentence each."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 130 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each step one sentence under 14 words."
  • Keeping the sheet's order. The AI follows the original list, so the warning signs end up near the bottom where they are easy to miss. Try: Say what goes first: "Step 1: when to call the clinic and the number."
  • Not saying who will read it. Without a reader in mind, the AI keeps terms like "edema" and "erythema" or just spells out the abbreviations. Try: Add: "She wants short, simple sentences. Use everyday words, no medical terms or abbreviations."
  • Missing the correction. The outdated shower rule sits in the main list, and the AI may copy it or fill the medicine gap with common painkillers. Try: Add: "Follow the 11/4 correction. Add no medicine names or doses."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Says who will read it
  • Sets the number of steps
  • Puts when to call first
  • Follows the correction
  • Sets a word limit

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