The document discusses how to effectively learn medical English, including using proper medical collocations and terminology, understanding differences between medical and colloquial English, recognizing common abbreviations, and utilizing internet resources to aid in cultural and linguistic context. It provides numerous examples of medical terms and their colloquial equivalents, as well as lists of common abbreviations and recommended online resources for medical learning. Ensuring clear communication with patients in a way they understand is emphasized.

1. How to effectively learn
Medical English
Grzegorz Chodkowski (MD)
Riga, Radisson SAS
2009

2. Information
is
POWER

3. Sisyphean challenge ?

4. "Never, never, never quit.“
Winston Churchill

5. Today’s Agenda
1. Medical Collocations
2. Medical vs. Colloquial English
3. Abbreviations
4. Internet resources / cultural context

6. Medical Collocations

7. fasting glucose muscle bulk
child-bearing age elective surgery
plain abdominal X-ray habitual abortion
urinary incontinence paroxysmal vertigo
temporary pacing surgical access
draping intermittent claudication
over the counter drug vomiting reflex

8. glikozes līmenis tukšā dūšā muskuĜu kūlītis
reproduktīvais vecums plānveida ėirurăija
Vēdera dobuma pārskata
ieraduma aborts
rentgenogramma
urīna nesaturēšana pēkšĦi reiboĦi
pagaidu mākslīgais sirds ritms operācijas pieeja
pacienta sagatavošana operācijai
pārklājot ėermeĦa daĜas ar steriliem mijklibošana
pārklājiem
bezrecepšu medikaments vemšanas reflekss

9. Medical vs. Colloquial English

10. A variety of Accents!
In the UK 70%
of the population Punjabi is used
speak English by 1.3 million
monolingually Scotland people in the UK
1% speak Gaelic (2001)
Newcastle (Geordie)
Northern Ireland
7% of the population speak Irish Yorkshire
Liverpool (Scouse) Lancashire
England East Anglian
Birmingham (Brummie)
Wales •East London (Cockney)
20% Welsh •London 100 immigrant
Cornish (3,500) Languages (1979)
‘Queens English’ (Spoken by 2%)

11. Good Communication
• Improves patient care
• Creates a good rapport (relationship) with
your patient
• Use effective body language (eye contact)
• Allow enough consultation time
• Listen well
• The GMC & NMC ‘Code of Conduct’ states:
“always use language that your patient
understands” - Avoid medical jargon

12. What the Patient says!
• “Ooh, I’ve got really bad guts Dr!”
= “I‘ve got pain in my abdomen”
• “I’ve been puking for 2 days!”
= “I’ve been vomiting for 2 days”
• “I broke my collar bone 6 months ago”
= “I broke my clavicle…..”
• “I’m having trouble down below!”
= “I’m having trouble with my genitals”
• “I’ve been bleeding from my back passage”
= “I’ve been bleeding from my anus”

13. What the Dr can say!
• Instead of asking “please inhale”
Say “please breathe in or a take a deep breath”
• Instead of “administering an intra-venous Infusion”
Give your patient “a drip”
• Instead of asking “where does the pain radiate?”
Ask “does the pain go anywhere else?”
• Instead of saying “you need an endoscope”
Say “we need to pass a tube with a camera into your
stomach”

14. Anatomical Colloquialisms
1. Abdomen = ”belly, tummy, stomach, guts”
2. Umbilicus = ”navel, belly button, tummy button”
3. Axilla = ”arm-pit”
4. Sternum = ”breast-bone”
5. Anus = ”back passage, bum, hole”
6. Larynx = ”voice box”
7. Trachea = ”wind pipe”

15. Symptom Colloquialisms
• Generally feeling ill
= ”Feel sick, not well, poorly”
• Diarrhoea
= ”loose stools, the runs/trots, the shits!”
• Pain
= ”it’s sore, it hurts, it aches, it’s killing me!”
• Vomiting
= ”puking, throwing up, unable to keep
anything down”

16. Symptom Colloquialisms
• To be febrile
= ”a fever/temperature, burning up”
• Nasal discharge
= ”snotty nose or runny nose”
• Menstruation
= ”period, time of the month”
• Flatulence
= ”farting, passing wind”

17. Symptoms
tachycardia: fast heart rate
palpitations: sensation of pounding, beating, fluttering
paraesthesia: pins and needles
oedema: swelling
intermittent claudication: pain in legs whilst walking
rhinitis: running nose
nasal discharge: snuffles, snotty nose
glossitis: a sore tongue
menorrhagia: heavy periods

18. Things which are Taboo!
Things that we are embarrassed to talk about
usually have lots of colloquial phrases
• Death
“kick the bucket, snuff it, pass away, go to rose
cottage, meet your maker, pop your clogs, etc”
• Cancer
“the big c, a tumour, a lump, a growth, or something
serious”
• Female Genitals
”down below, private parts, front passage”

19. Medical Abbreviations

20. How many ?
50 5 350
250 7250
1250 450
3250
750
950
550

21. tds, qds, qid, bid, od, om, ac, pc, nocte, stat, NPO
FOBT, ABG, ESR, CXR, FBC, MSU, U & E, C&S, FBS, OGTT,
HO, CC, HPI, s/b, w/o, d/c, c/o, DOE, DOA, NAD, WNL,
TTA (TTO), NRM, VSS , AAO, ADR, BOM,
FUO, FTT, DVT, LOC , PUD, VV, AI, DM, COPD, ACS,
TKR, AKA, D&C, LP, TAH , UTI, AAD, IBS
RTW, TBC, TCI,

22. Internet Resources

25. Last year medical student, medical blogger at
Scienceroll.com and microblogger at
Twitter.com/Berci. I will start PhD in personalized
genetics this year. I also give slideshows about web
2.0's impact on medical education and healthcare. I try
to ease the work of physicians and scientists by
recommending useful tools and sites and by
presenting them the new world of web 2.0.
I'm the founder of the first medical web 2.0 guidance
service at Webicina.com and I launched the first
university credit course for medical students that
focuses on web 2.0 and medicine
(med20course.wordpress.com)
I've given lectures at several clinics and departments
at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of
Debrecen. I gave presentations at the Medicine Meets
www.scienceroll.com Virtual Reality Conference (Long Beach, CA in 2008 and
2009); at the University of Yale, School of Medicine, at
the centre of World Health Organization, at the
Medicine 2.0 Congress in Toronto or at the clinics of
Greenwich, among others.
Specialties
Creating web 2.0 based medical/scientific sites,
blogging, organizing information, communication and
e-education.

46. Thank You!
Any Questions?