discharge or drainage: same thing?

[Spritenurse1210, BSN, RN]

While charting one day, i had a resident who had a yellowish liquid coming out of one of her eyes (looks like pink-eye) when i went to chart my findings i put down " resident found to have a yellow drainage coming out of left eye. " My question? is discharge the same thing as drainage? is there a difference, and what is the difference?

[dollphyn]

While charting one day, i had a resident who had a yellowish liquid coming out of one of her eyes (looks like pink-eye) when i went to chart my findings i put down " resident found to have a yellow drainage coming out of left eye. " My question? is discharge the same thing as drainage? is there a difference, and what is the difference?

I went looking around on Google to see what I could find. On one of the websites that was a MD website, regarding the eye, drainage and discharge were used interchangeably. They even gave a listing of all the names of different eye disorders and used both terms.

I guess it would depend on the body part that we are discussing. I wouldn't think a lady partsl "discharge" would be considered a drainage, unless it was something abnormal. Even then, when talking about that I would say, the pt has a greenish lady partsl discharge, not drainage.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Well, I have always referred to drainage as from a tube or wound... discharge is pretty much as previously said.

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

I usually refer to drainage from a tube--like a Foley cath or JP drain, or from a wound--"dressing changed secondary to large amount of soaking drainage".

Discharge I would say comes from some sort of bodily orifice--eye, genitalia, etc.

[leslie :-D]

I usually refer to drainage from a tube--like a Foley cath or JP drain, or from a wound--"dressing changed secondary to large amount of soaking drainage".

Discharge I would say comes from some sort of bodily orifice--eye, genitalia, etc.

i think that's a very appropriate distinction.

good answer, katie.

leslie

[Iam46yearsold]

I don't want either one , thank you.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I usually refer to drainage from a tube--like a Foley cath or JP drain, or from a wound--"dressing changed secondary to large amount of soaking drainage".

Discharge I would say comes from some sort of bodily orifice--eye, genitalia, etc.

yup, my thought as well........also, i think discharge could be described as drainage, but not the other way around.....