caseload
/ˈkeɪˌsloʊd/The number of patients a doctor, nurse or social worker is responsible for at one time.
Example: The nurse's caseload doubled during the outbreak.
B114 words · Intermediate
Healthcare vocabulary — B1
Healthcare vocabulary for everyday clinical work, including a patient's caseload, confidentiality, diagnosis and the referral and prescription that follow a ward round.
14 questions
Words in this set
14confidentiality
/ˌkɑnfəˌdɛnʃiˈæləti/The duty to keep a patient's personal and medical information private.
Example:
Staff must sign an agreement to protect patient confidentiality.
bed occupancy
The proportion of a hospital's beds that are currently in use, used to measure how busy it is.
Example:
Bed occupancy reached its highest level during the flu season.
duty of care
A legal and professional obligation to avoid causing harm to patients.
Example:
Doctors owe every patient a duty of care.
informed consent
A patient's agreement to a treatment after being told its risks and benefits.
Example:
The surgeon explained the risks before getting informed consent.
waiting list
A queue of people who must wait their turn, usually in the order they applied, before receiving treatment or an appointment.
Example:
She has been on the waiting list for a hip operation for months.
safeguarding
/ˈseɪfˌɡɑrdɪŋ/Action taken to protect vulnerable patients, especially children, from harm or abuse.
Example:
All staff complete safeguarding training every year.
diagnosis
/ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊsəs/A doctor's decision about what illness or condition a patient has.
Example:
The diagnosis confirmed it was a mild infection, not the flu.
prescription
/prəˈskrɪpʃən/A doctor's written instruction saying what medicine a patient should take.
Example:
He took the prescription to the pharmacy to collect his tablets.
referral
/rɪˈfɜrəl/When a doctor sends a patient to see a specialist for more care.
Example:
Her GP gave her a referral to see a cardiologist.
ward round
The regular visit doctors make to patients on a ward.
Example:
Everything gets decided on the morning ward round.
specimen
/ˈspɛsəmən/A small sample taken for medical testing.
Example:
The specimen was mislabelled and had to be taken again.
consent form
A document a patient signs to agree to treatment.
Example:
No procedure begins until the consent form is signed.
case notes
The written record of a patient's history and treatment.
Example:
The case notes had gone missing between two departments.
