Hey Slasher, Get in Here Stat! We Have a Hasselhoff with a GSW CTD!

You are sitting in the waiting room at your doctor’s office and you overhear a nurse in the hallway refer to you as “SOB”. Should you be offended? A recent article in the Chicago Tribune says maybe…and maybe not. Unless you have been particularly rude to the nurse, she/he is probably simply reporting to a colleague that you are short of breath. The Tribune article states that, like any other workplace setting, physician offices and hospitals have their own slang, jargon, and office gossip. Medical slang runs the gamut from the simple acronym to the totally insensitive descriptor. A few examples and definitions follow.

The Accepted:
These kinds of terms are generally accepted and have even become part of the general lexicon thanks to their use on TV medical dramas.
DNR – do not resuscitate
GSW – gunshot wound
Stat – immediately
Tox Screen – test to detect the presence and type of drug(s) in blood

The Industry Insiders:
These terms are sometimes used to describe professionals in the field. Their appropriateness is arguable.
Baby Catcher –obstetrician
Gas Passer/Gasser – anesthesiologist
Rear Admiral – proctologist
Slasher – surgeon

The Downright Tacky:
These are a few of the more controversial terms used to describe patients.
CTD – circling the drain, to identify a patient who is near death
DBI – dirt bag index = number of tattoos X number of missing teeth
GOMER – get out of my emergency room
Handbag Positive – confused, elderly female patient clutching her purse

And my personal favorite:
Hasselhoff – a patient whose injury has a bizarre explanation, news.com.au claims that this term is derived from an incident in which David Hasselhoff, of Baywatch fame, hit his head on a chandelier while shaving and the broken glass severed four tendons and an artery in his right arm.

The Chicago Tribune article states that many medical educators are coming out against the teaching and use of this type of slang, particularly the tackier variety, much of which gets picked up in school and during residencies. Dr. John Schumann at the University of Chicago believes that when health professionals use terms such as the ones listed above they imply that the patients, the human beings, being cared for are burdens, or unimportant. As stated before, we know that all industries have office gossip, and many have a language which in-house staff is hip to even if the customers may be none the wiser. Should health professionals be allowed their office gossip and inside slang, or should they be held to a different standard? I think it’s worth discussing whether there is a time and a place for this type of language, and if it serves any positive purpose.

Sources:
404 moment: new medical slang – news.com.au, December 21, 2007
It’s not an insult if nurse calls you ‘S.O.B.’ – Chicago Tribune, May 7, 2008
Medical Slang – Wikipedia