Exercise 53. Study What Tools a Doctor Carries to Work.

To the right is an example of the TOOLS CARRIED BY an "average doctor": 1 = a pressure cuff for taking blood, 2 = a stethoscope for listening to body sounds, 3 = a calculator for adjusting drug doses, 4 = a tape measure, 5 = a personal organizer/pda, 6 = an otoscope to look in ears, 7 = an ophthalmoscope to examine eyes, 8 = a light, 9 = a patella hammer for checking reflexes, 10 = a name tag and pen of choice - 'cause we write a lot!

It's important to remember that specialists will carry different tools to work and some doctors don't even use stethoscopes - for example a dermatologist doesn't need to listen to your skin. And other instruments are so big, like ultrasounds, they're left at work. And of course, the most important tool a doctor must carry to work each day is their brain :)

Exercise 54. Read the text “How a Doctor Visit Works”. Make up five types of questions to it.

How a Doctor Visit Works

When something goes wrong with your body you VISIT A DOCTORto get it working right again!

The first thing your doctor will do when you sit in front of him or her is ask you questions. This is because they need to narrow their search down to what two or three problems you most likely have.

A good interview alone can lead a clinician to a correct guess diagnosis most of the time.

This is because diseases tend to have unique signatures, i.e. their symptoms repeat again and again like fingerprints in persons they strike.

Once your doctor has an idea what might be your problem they then look for proof. This is done by examining you, looking for physical evidence, and through tests related to your complaints.

With all this information together, your doctor then makes a logical calculation of your diagnosis like this:

Symptoms + PHYSICAL FINDINGS + Test Results = Diagnosis

Of these three inputs, physical findings are regarded highest, i.e. if a doctor listens to your chest and hears fluid in it, s/he will treat you for this even if your chest x-ray looks normal and blood tests says that your oxygen level is fine.

After diagnosis your doctor then provides a standardized treatment /prescription for your ailment. These treatments are developed by university hospitals and large clinical trials which compare treatments for effectiveness. The best results from these studies are then printed and circulated as treatment recommendations to physicians.

Diagnosis is very important to doctors because it is the language that doctors think in. A diagnosis X is a name for a disease which has X symptoms, X physical findings, and X test results. The beauty of a diagnosis label is that another doctor seeing you for the first time immediately knows what symptoms you probably have, what to expect physically, and what your treatment should be.

The last step after treatment is follow-up. This means a repeat visit to your doctor where s/he checks that you are back to normal. Chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure where the problem never goes away, need long-term follow-up every couple of months to monitor that the disease is staying under control and not getting worse.

Exercise 55. On the left there are examples of twelve useful verbs in medicine, on the right there are definitions of the verbs. Read the examples and match the verbs (in italics) with the definitions. Then write the infinitive forms into the spaces in the definitions on the right. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Exercise 56. Which itemin the listof instruments and equipment does each one refer to? The first one has been done for youas an example.

LIST OF INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT

Extension. Work with a partner and test each other. For example: What do you call a chair with wheels in which an invalid can sit and move around

Exercise 57. Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the box.

1. Her ___ were minor; just a few cuts and bruises.

2. Babies are ___ three times in their first year.

3. I had to have stitches to close the___.

4. The woman has severe brain damage and is currently on___.

5. My right ankle was so ___ it was twice the size of my left one.

6. She will remain in the ___ until she can breathe on her own.

7. The doctors will be monitoring her for any ___ bleeding.

8. If you are allergic to this medication your skin will get red and___.

9. The toddler was so dehydrated that the doctor decided to get him on an___.

10. The ___ have come in and you are free to go home.

11. I'll take these samples down to the ___ on my way out.

12. We have to do more x-rays because the first ones were___.

13. The nurse will demonstrate how to bathe an___.

14. You can't have visitors because your ___ is low.

15. The wound should be covered when you swim to prevent it from becoming___.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Exercise 58. Nowadays a lot of people prefer alternative medicine (different from typical western systems). For example:

acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and aromatherapy. What do we call the type of alternative medicine which …

1. uses herbs and other natural plants?
2. uses oils which smell nice and are rubbed into your body?
3. uses needles to stick into specific parts of your body?
4. uses tiny amounts of substances which cause the illness the doctor is trying to cure?
5. manipulates your spine and bones to ease backache and other pains?

Have you ever tried any of the medicine described above?

If YES, was it helpful/painful/expensive?

Why did you decide to try it?

Exercise 59. 1. LISTEN to the radio programme about holistic medicine and complete the chart with some of the differences between Western and holistic medicine.

1. What are the three stories discussed on the programme? What were the patients suffering from?
2. What is the system that Glenna Gullingham is trying to set up?
3. Why, in her opinion, is holistic medicine becoming more popular?

Exercise 60. What do YOU think?

Do you agree with Miss Gullingham that we are becoming more health conscious? Have your attitudes to health care changed at all?

WRITING

Exercise 61. Write your friend a letter describing your last visit to the doctor. Mention

• your complaints,
• the appointment,
• the doctor’s diagnosis and
• recommendations.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 2676