2Patients' vs doctors' language

Match these technical terms to more patient-friendly descriptions of various health problems.

digestion: trawienie

numbness: drętwienie

tingling: mrowienie

pass water: oddawać mocz

TECHNICAL TERMS

PATIENT-FRIENDLY LANGUAGE

1) insomnia

a) yellowing of the skin and/or eyes

2) arrhythmia

b) problems with digestion and pain after meals

3) epistaxis

c) trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep

4) dysuria

d) blood in the urine

5) dyspepsia

e) changes in the way the heart beats

6) jaundice

f) feeling of numbness and tingling

7) paraesthesia

g) difficulty or pain on passing water

8) haematuria

h) severe bleeding from the nose

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c

3Communicating with patients

What do you think your patients mean when they tell you that they feel?

PATIENT'S DESCRIPTION

MEANING

1) 'light-headed'

a) feel out of breath

2) 'bloated'

b) feel strange, not well

3) 'winded'

c) feel anxious, feel something is wrong

4) 'funny'

d) feel dizzy, like they are going to faint

5) 'uneasy'

e) have a slight fever

6) they are 'coming down with flu'

f) feel weak, unable to walk correctly or think clearly

7) 'queasy'

g) feel sick, feel that they are going to vomit

8) 'groggy'

h) feel they have caught flu and it's just starting

9) 'poorly'

i) their abdomen feels uncomfortably full and tight

10) 'a bit feverish'

j) feel unwell

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e