How to read your Turkish hospital paperwork: a document decoder
International patients encounter these exact Turkish words in their own paperwork, often with no explanation. Here’s what each one actually means, and which document-checklist item it satisfies.
Epikriz / Taburcu özeti
Both words are commonly used interchangeably for the same document: a written summary of your entire hospital stay — diagnosis, tests, treatment given, and your condition at discharge. If a hospital hands you a document under either name, it’s almost always the same thing.
This is the single document your home oncologist needs most to understand what actually happened during your stay — it satisfies the discharge summary item on the discharge-documents checklist.
Patoloji raporu
The pathology report — the pathologist’s written findings from examining tissue under a microscope, including diagnosis, tumor markers, and staging-relevant details.
This is the document that most decides your treatment plan — see how to read your pathology report for what the report’s contents actually mean, and the discharge-documents checklist for why the final (not preliminary) version matters.
Ameliyat notu
The operative note — the surgeon’s own written account of exactly what was done during an operation, step by step, including anything found or any deviation from the planned procedure.
This is a separate document from the discharge summary, and your home doctor needs both — it satisfies the operation note item on the discharge-documents checklist.
Refakatçi
The companion — a family member or friend authorized to stay with you in the hospital, typically issued a companion pass or card by the hospital that allows them to remain overnight and move through the facility with you.
If someone is travelling with you, ask the hospital specifically about refakatçi arrangements before admission — see the document checklist for what else to prepare before you travel.
Başhekim
The chief physician — the senior doctor responsible for a hospital’s overall medical administration, distinct from your own treating physician. Some official documents (such as certain medical reports used in visa or residence-permit applications) require the başhekim’s signature or seal alongside the treating physician’s.
If a document you need — for insurance, immigration, or any official purpose — requires a başhekim signature, ask the hospital’s administration office specifically, since this isn’t something your treating physician can add alone.
Yeminli tercüman
A sworn (certified) translator — a translator formally registered to produce translations accepted for official purposes. A sworn translation on its own is not the same as a notarized one: it confirms the translator’s qualification, not that a notary has separately certified the document.
If your home country or insurer requires a certified translation of your Turkish medical documents, ask specifically for a sworn translation — and separately confirm whether your recipient also requires notarization (below).
Noter onayı
Notarization — a separate additional step, performed by a Turkish notary (noter), that certifies a sworn translator’s translation matches the original document. Not every institution that accepts a sworn translation also requires this extra step.
Ask the specific institution that will receive your documents (your insurer, a foreign hospital, an embassy) whether they require notarization specifically, rather than assuming a sworn translation alone is enough — see handing your records back to your home oncologist for the broader translation and authentication picture.