Hospital terminology

An in-patient, Ant: an out-patient A casualty To call the ambulance To take to hospital To check in hospital Ant: to discharge from hospital

A case history An interesting case A (surgical) ward Intensive therapy / Intensive care unit To make rounds / To go one’s rounds

Procedures in hospital

To cure / handle / treat a patient

To give smb first aid

To clean the wound with antiseptic / To put a little antiseptic on the wound

To dress a wound / To apply a dressing to a wound

To put a bandage on

To remove a dressing

To replace a dressing

To have one’s leg put in plaster

To go round on crutches (until the plaster comes off)

Young bones set quickly

To have one’s arm in a sling

To give an injection / To give a needle

To inject smth into one’s arm / To inject one’s arm with smth

To give blood transfusion

To have a course of treatment /To undergo treatment (for a disease)

To try out a new course of treatment on smb / To test smth on smb

Patients’ condition

To be in good condition Ant: To be in poor condition

To be in no condition to do smth

To be in (out of) condition / to be fit (unfit) for smth

To be bedridden / to be confined to bed

Deteriorating condition, To take a turn for the worst

To feel like death warmed up, To be in critical / serious condition, To be slipping away, To be fading fast

To fight for life

To bring on complications, Complications set in,

The life is hanging by a thread, It’s just a matter of time

To pass away, To die of an illness, To die from a wound, To die through neglect,

To have a relapse,

To be in a coma, Ant: To come out of the coma

To recover / regain consciousness / To come to / To come round, To show signs of coming round

To respond to treatment, To make a progress, To turn the corner, The worst is over, To be on the mend, To come along nicely, Stable / satisfactory condition

To make a miraculous recovery,

To be out of /off the danger list, To be up and about,

To be completely recovered, To be as good as new, To be as right as rain, To be on one’s feet again

Operation

To go ahead with an operation

To operate on smb for smth / To perform surgery (an operation) for smth

To undergo / have

Operating-theatre

To avoid post-operative complications

To have appendix removed / To have appendix out,

To come through an operation

To be under the anaesthetic

The effect of the anaesthetic wears off

Convalescence and recuperation period

To survive an illness

To build up one’s strength

To examine one’s eating habits, drinking habits, sleeping habits

To live to be a hundred

Social maladies

To be in the habit of doing smth

To fall into / to get into the habit of doing smth

To cure smb of the habit

To get out of the habit / to break the habit / to kick the habit

A hard habit to break

Old habits die hard.

To do harm / To cause harm to smb /smth

To be harmful (Ant: harmless) to one’s health

To abuse smth, An abuse of smth

An addict, to be addicted to smth,

To overcome one’s addiction to smth