Medical terms you'd rather see changed....

[Lisa CCU RN]

I hate saying "expired" for someone who is dead and I could also do without seeing "morbid obesity" or even obese in the chart.

I know being overweight is a serious health issue, but those words are so ugly to me.

So, what are some medical terms you could do without or you think are strange?

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

Pulmonary toilet...I just hate that phrase!

With you on this one, I never could figure out how they devised that term. It just sounds nasty to start with lol.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

"orders" vrs prescriptions or, god forbid, recommendations.

[mom23RN]

While it doesn't bother me becuase I know that the term "abortion" does not really mean the act of a medical abortion I know that many women hate seeing "threatened abortion" or "incomplete abortion" on thier paperwork. I don't know why we stepped away from miscarriage (seems a more tender term).

I also hate fetal demise. Just sounds sick.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

'orders' I agree this one should go-gives the docs more power

[DG5]

Years ago a friend of mine said the doctor had diagnosed her 7 year old with "Minimal Brain Damage" but he was as bright as a button. I've later come to realise this old term was what is now called Attention Deficit Disorder- thank heavens they changed that one - always couldn't figure out why a small kid should be labelled like that.

[Typhoid Mary]

I'd like to add "habitual aborter", which I saw written in my own medical chart after having three miscarriages. I appreciate that the term "aborter" does not medically mean what it sounds as if it does...but gee whiz, as if I didn't already feel bad enough. I would never use this term when describing a woman who had lost pregnancies.

Also, I work in ONC, and our docs will refer to patients having "failed the protocol", This means that the patient had disease progession during chemotherapy. To me, it always sounds as if they think that the patient just didn't try hard enough. Again, would never use this term.

[Halinja, BSN, RN]

While it doesn't bother me becuase I know that the term "abortion" does not really mean the act of a medical abortion I know that many women hate seeing "threatened abortion" or "incomplete abortion" on thier paperwork. I don't know why we stepped away from miscarriage (seems a more tender term).

When I was a young mom, I found out I was pregnant. I had one other child, and had miscarried once. While I was in the doctor's office, the nurse was taking a history, and when I said I'd miscarried she said, oh, you had an abortion. I said no. (not knowing that it was a medical term for miscarriage) She then said, how many times have you had an abortion? I said never. Anyway, it went around and around and never once did she explain that she didn't mean I'd gone in to some clinic somewhere and had an abortion, that it was a medical term. Not once. She wouldn't let it go and just say all right, how many miscarriages have you had. Nor would she explain. I ended up in tears, feeling attacked and feeling that she thought I was lying to her and had secretly been sneaking out to have dozens of abortions in a clinic somewhere.

Every time I see the word in paperwork it reminds me of that afternoon, and if I ever have to use it to a patient, I am very careful to explain in what way we are using the word. But I don't like the word. It has way too much emotional freight.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I am in OB and I too dislike anything with "failure" in it -- Failed VBAC, failed induction, failure to progress, failure to descend. Like the mom is being graded or something and she didn't quite cut it.

I don't like "fetal demise". Sounds too cold & clinical; usually the point that this family has lost a baby gets lost. I prefer "the baby's death" or something similar.

Don't like "incompetent cervix" either.

Last of all, I agree with Halinja that the term "abortion" can be too weighty esp. for someone who doesn't know that an elective AB and a miscarriage are both considered abortions.

[Typhoid Mary]

Thought of another- "withdraw care". This one actually makes me cringe. I get a mental image of a bunch of doctors and nurses walking away from a patient in a bed when I hear this. Needs to be changed to something that dosent sound as if we are washing our hands of the patient.

[Halinja, BSN, RN]

Thought of another- "withdraw care". This one actually makes me cringe. I get a mental image of a bunch of doctors and nurses walking away from a patient in a bed when I hear this. Needs to be changed to something that dosent sound as if we are washing our hands of the patient.

I agree with that one too! Sounds cold.

[SillyLilly]

I DO NOT like diaper either. l try to use pad, brief, or undwear, but it usually winds up like "mary, can you pass me the adult pad?" "huh? you mean this diaper? or "Ok, here is the diaper." To me it is simply many people work hard all their lives to provide for themselves and the loved ones or whatnot, and to become incontinent AND be wrapped in a "diaper" can be degrading. That is how I would feel at least.

Abortions: Our OB instructor told us the reason they do not use 'miscarriage' anymore is to prevent health care workers from becoming judgemental in anyway toward a pt who has had an elective abortion. But, as I can see, it may only lead to further problems. Sheesh...

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

In my community health practice, I review tens of thousands of medical records a year.

I hate "organic brain syndrome"...it doesn't really mean anything and is an obsolete term.

I wish people would stop using the term "blacked out" for loss of consciousness or fainting. It is a lay term, not medical ....yet I see MDs using it all the time as a diagnosis.