Curso Introductorio al Inglés Médico (página 2)

Los objetivos de
las tareas del curso son los siguientes:

• Tarea 1: Presenta la terminología
  básica, despierta la
  motivación cultural, y facilita la
  presentación del vocabulario en contextos
  significativos.
• Tarea 2: Presenta el vocabulario esencial para
  describir la anatomía del
  cuerpo
  humano.
• Tarea 3: Facilita la práctica del lenguaje
  relativo a la definición de partes y órganos del
  cuerpo humano.
• Tarea 4: Actividad comunicativa para desarrollar la
  fluidez con el objetivo de
  definir términos médicos y facilitar la integración de habilidades
  lingüísticas.
• Tarea 5: Provee al alumno con una actividad que
  permite ampliar el vocabulario sobre especialidades y
  especialistas, y que a la vez refuerza la práctica oral
  referente a gustos y preferencias. Además presenta
  rudimentos léxicos sobre la formación de palabras
  técnicas del inglés médico.
• Tarea 6: Favorece la comprensión y
  práctica del contenido gramatical referente al uso de
  los artículos definido e indefinido en el inglés
  médico.
• Tarea 7: Favorece el seguimiento a la práctica
  de la descripción de lugares y refuerza
  habilidades orales y escritas.
• Tarea 8: Presenta las etapas de la consulta
  médica, a partir de la práctica de la lectura
  intensiva y el significado implícito de los
  términos claves del vocabulario a tratar.
• Tarea 9: Centra el interés
  del estudiante en la precisión gramatical y favorece la
  práctica en situaciones típicas de la
  entrevista médico-paciente.
• Tarea 10: Conduce a una actividad comunicativa de
  cierre del curso y ofrece posibilidades de reforzar el uso de
  partitivos, preposiciones y el lenguaje
  esencial para expresar advertencia o precaución respecto
  al uso de los medicamentos.

Desarrollo.

Introduction to English for medicine

Task 1

Look at this passage. It goes back to the origin of the
term medicine.

Medicine is taken almost directly from the Latin
medicina, which to the Romans, meant almost the same as
"medicine" means to us. This word, in turn,
is related to mediri, "to heal". Both in ancient times and
now, the same word __ medicina or
"medicine"__ serves for both to the science of healing and to the
means of healing, i.e., what we also call " drugs".

A more up-to-date and comprehensive view of the term
medicine as the science and art of dealing with the
maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation or cure of
disease.

1. Read the passage carefully and be ready to discuss
   about your personal
   motivation, driving forces, inspiration and/or enthusiasm in
   relation to the career, then, write your own definition of the
   word medicine.

b) The words listed below are all connected in some way
to the term MEDICINE. Read carefully and arrange them into
the following word sets:

Fever Heart Hypertension Cardiovascular

Respiratory Pneumonia Gastrointestinal
Lungs

Appendicitis Abdomen Pain Headache

c) Can you add any other words to each group?

d)What about the term disease? What synonyms or
near synonyms could be used to designate this
category?

Task 2

Look at the following diagrams, the one on the left
shows the outer structure of a human body, which is divided into
three main parts; the head, the trunk and the extremities
(upper and lower). The others provide you with important
internal organs of it.

1. ___shoulder 16________

   ___forearm 17________

   ___kidney 18________

   ___wrist 19________

   ___thigh 20________

   ___heel 21 ________

   ___navel 22 ________

   ___elbow 23 ________

   ___liver 24 ________

   ___sphincter muscle 25 ________

   ___calf 26 ________

   ___oesophagus 27 ________

   ___ chest 28 ________

   ___bladder 29 ________

   ___nipple 30 ________

   

   Notice that the definite article the
   is always used for body parts an organs. E.g. The
   spleen.

2. In groups study the diagrams, match the words below
   to the numbers in the pictures, write the correct words for
   numbers 16 to 30 and then practice saying these words as your
   teacher provides you with a pronunciation model.
3. The words listed in column A are very much used when
   doctors need to explain some of these parts or compounds. Could
   you match them?

A B

1. "tube" ___ for blood, the lymph,
   secretions.
2. "passage" ___ for junction or articulation of
   bones.
3. "bag" ___ for chemical compounds like bilirubin,
   haemoglobin.
4. "lining" ___ for the trachea, the oesophagus, the
   rectum.
5. "fluid" ___ for the heart.
6. "substance" ___ for the tibia, the
   fibula.
7. "layers" ___ for the ureter, the urethra.
8. "gland" ___ for the stomach, the bladder.
9. "muscle" ___ for the skin – inner (dermis)
   outer (epidermis).
10. "bone" ___ for the liver, the pancreas.
11. "joint" ___ for the pleura, the
    pericardium

Task 3

1. Work in pairs. Guess what part of the body or body
   organ is being defined.

1. The pair organs in the lumbar region. They are
   bean-shaped. They regulate the normal concentrations of the
   constituents of the blood.
2. The part of the upper limb between the arm and
   forearm.
3. The region of the junction of the arm and the
   trunk.
4. It extends from the hip to the toes.
5. It connects the head with the trunk.
6. Any of the digits of the hand.
7. The largest gland of the body, occupying the upper
   part of the abdomen especially on the right side. It is the
   central organ of metabolism of carbohydrate, proteins and
   fat.
8. The muscular organ, which keeps the circulation of
   the blood by its pumping action.
   2. Write definitions for any two other parts of
      the human body.
9. The paired organ of respiration, situated at each
   side of the mediastinum

Task 4

This crossword is not complete; you have only half the
words, the other half is on sheet B. Work in groups to find out
the words you don’t have. Listen to the other team, they
will describe the location of the word in the crossword and build
up a possible definition for the term to be guessed. Be ready to
do the same when you take turns for defining words. Follow these
rules:

• Speak only in English
• Don’t say the word in the crossword
• Don’t show the other team your crossword
  sheet

E.g. word 1 across: It is the knee cap, a bone found in
the knee joint.

word 1 down: These are the main bones found in the
digits.

Sheet A

Task 5

For the study of the different parts of the body and
body systems, doctors are specialized into a wide range of
specialties.

a) Look at the following word list. There are some words
hidden on both sides. Could you help to find them?

Specialties Specialists

1. physiology physiologist
2. ___________ neurologist
3. cardiology _____________
4. ___________ haematologist
5. surgery surgeon
6. nephrology _____________
7. gynaecology gynaecologist
8. bacteriology _____________
9. ___________ dermatologist
10. epidemiology _____________
11. ___________ otorhinolaryngologist (ENT specialist)
12. oncology _____________
13. obstetrics obstetrician
14. ____________ pediatrician
15. General medicine General practitioner

b) Now, write the name of the specialist or specialty
that matches the definitions provided.

1. ______________The branch of medical science that is
   concerned with the lungs and other respiratory
   organs.
2. ______________The branch of medicine dealing with
   disorders involving mental life and behaviour.
3. ______________A specialist in the treatment of eye
   diseases and defects.

3. Work with your partner to write a suitable definition
   for two other specialties or specialists you know
   about.

4. What are the specialties you find more appealing.
   Explain why.
5. The word cardiologymeans the study of the
   heart, its actions and diseases. This term is formed by
   the combination of cardi (which comes from the Greek
   kardi = heart) and logy which means the
   study ofor the science of. The following exercise
   provides you with some other major roots, prefixes and
   suffixes from which medical lexis is formed. Study the two
   columns and match them accordingly. Then write a full term
   for each.

1. hepat ____ life
2. derm ____ bone
3. glyc ____ below, insufficient
4. osteo ____ stomach
5. nephr ____ liver
6. bio ____ mechanical recording
7. hypo ____ inflammation
8. itis ____ skin
9. gast ____ sugar
10. gram ____ kidney

Have a look

Task 6

As you have seen the/a/an are troublesome areas
in medical language. Work in pairs and fill in the blanks only
when necessary.

1. As a child he had had ____ scarlet fever and ____
   varicella
2. It’s important to immunize ____ children before
   the age of 5.
3. He works in ____ Faculty of ____
   Medicine.
4. The patient presented with pain in ____ left
   arm.
5. Would you like to be ____ obstetrician?
6. I don’t feel very well this morning. I’ve
   got ____ sore throat.
7. He couldn’t decide whether to specialize in
   ____ Paediatrics or in Anaesthesiology.
8. All patients received ____ Amoxicillin 250 mg 6
   hourly.
9. The drug was found to cause ____ nausea.
10. ____women live longer than men.

Task 7

1. The chart presented below describes the anatomy of
   a Hospital. The structure is arranged according to
   different fields of specialization. As you can see some
   important services have been whited out. Work with a partner
   and using the words from the list below insert them into the
   heading they belong in. Then listen to the pronunciation of
   these words and practice saying them with your
   partner.

2. Is there any difference between the model structure
   presented in a) and the hospitals you are familiar with?
   Support your answers.

3. Now you are members of a planning committee for an
   international conference that is going to be held at your
   hospital. During the conference, participants will need
   information about the services available in or near the
   conference centre. Work in pairs, choose one of the services
   above and produce a brief description for conference
   participants in a small paragraph. Be ready to share your ideas
   in plenary.

Task 8

Read the following conversation.

A: Good morning, Mrs González. What seems to
be the problem?

B: I’m not feeling well; I have been having
trouble climbing stairs.

A: Is it something new?

B: No, but it’s never been this bad
before.

1. ____ a patient getting information about treatment	____ at a hospital theatre
   ____ a doctor interviewing a patient	____ at a microbiology department
   ____ a specialist examining a patient	____ at an outpatient department

2. Work in pairs and tick the items that match the type
   of interaction described above and a possible scenario for
   it.
3. In what other places of the anatomy of a hospital
   does this type of interaction take place?
4. These notes on the medical work-up were all
   found in the pages of a third year medical student jotter. Read
   them carefully and answer the questions below:

I. Greeting the patient: This is done in the
conventional way.

II. History Taking or Medical Interview: Relates
to the preliminary case history of the patient (Anamnesis) and
includes the following:

Date of history.

Identifying Data (ID): age, sex, race,
occupation, nationality, marital status, place of birth (some
other type of data, such as religion, could be also
taken).

Source of referral: General Practitioner (GP),
other clinic, hospital, etc.

Source of history: patient, relative, friend,
patient’s medical record or a referral letter.

Chief complaint: current problem.

History of the presenting illness (HPI): A clear
chronological, narrative account of the problem for which the
patient is seeking care.

• Onset of the problem
• Setting in which it developed
• Its manifestations
• Treatments
• Its impact upon the patient’s life and its
  meaning to the patient.

Symptoms: All important: Depending on the chief
complaint consider everything, document the essential (either
present or absent). Consider Abdominal, Genitourinary,
Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Neurological, Musculoskeletal, and
Psychiatric involvement. If you don't ask, they might not
tell!

• Location

• Quality
• Quantity or severity
• Timing (i.e. onset, duration and
  frequency)
• Setting
• Precipitating, aggravating and/or relieving
  factors
• Associated manifestations

Relevant data from patient’s
chart:

• Lab reports (if any)
• Significant negatives; the absence of certain
  symptoms that will help in differential diagnosis.

Past Medical History: In this stage the doctor
asks about any previous illnesses the patient has had, such
as:

• Childhood illnesses: e.g. measles, mumps, chicken pox
  (varicella), scarlet fever, polio.
• Adult illnesses, psychiatric disorders, operations,
  injuries, hospitalisations, current medications including home
  remedies, allergies.
• Immunizations.

Family History: The occurrence within the family
of any of the following conditions: diabetes, TB,
heart disease, high blood pressure (HBP) kidney disease, cancer,
anaemia.

Social History: This is the stage in which the
doctor asks about such things as the patient’s living
environment, work, family relationships, marriage, retirement and
habits (dietary and sleeping patterns, exercise, alcohol,
coffee, tobacco, etc). These may not only relate to the cause of
the patient’s problem, but also to its
management.

Review of systems: In the systems review, the
doctor finds out if the patient has any other important symptoms
by enquiring about the different systems of the body (such as the
cardiovascular system) and, if necessary, asking specific
questions about them.

III Clinical Examination: The doctor may need to
give the patient instructions during this stage. He may also need
to inform the patient of the results of his examination. What the
doctor finds on examination constitute the signs of the
patient’s illness, that is; any objective evidence of
disease. As opposed to the symptoms, which are the
effects of the illness as reported by the patient. That is;
any subjective evidence of disease.

IV Discussing the patient’s problems with him/
her: Recent research has made it clear that the doctor who
neglects to determine the patient’s own view of the problem
misses an important factor not only in the aetiology of the
problem but in its management. In particular, he risks poor
patient compliance; in other words, the patient may not
follow the doctor’s advice.

V Management: This includes explaining to the
patient the nature of the illness and explaining any
investigations the doctor feels are necessary, as well as giving
instructions about treatment itself.

VI Conclusion: This consists of ending the
consultation, making arrangements for follow up, and
leave-taking.

• How many stages are usually contained in a typical
  medical consultation? What are they?
• Which of these are present in the conversation? Which
  ones are left out?

Now look through all the text again and answer your
teacher’s questions. Work in pairs and try to work out the
meaning of any vocabulary you don’t know. Then, with the
help of your teacher brainstorm on some other questions you would
ask to get more information about this patient’s main
complaint.

Task 9

The following questions attempt to recollect to the
patient’s mind detailed pieces of information associated
with the patient’s main problem. Work with a partner and
supply the correct form of the verb take that fits in each
sentence.

1. ______you ______any medication in this
   moment?
2. _____you_______ any regular medication?
3. When_______ you ________the last tablets?
4. How long ______you _________this
   medication?
5. ________ you ________any other medication before this
   problem started?

Have a look

Verb tenses relate the meaning of the verb to a time
scale. That is the reason why you should give some attention to
the different kinds of meaning a verb may have.
Thus:

We use the present continuous [be (is, are, am)
+…ing] when we talk about things happening in a period
around now. (Limited duration)

We use simple present (I do) to say that
something happens all the time or repeatedly. (Present habit, or
a sequence of events.

Simple past (I did) is used when the past
happening is related to a definite time in the past.

Present perfect (I have done) often refers
to:

– A recent indefinite past e.g. Have you taken your
medication yet?

– Habit in a period leading up to the present time e.g.
He has taken his medication regularly.

– Past event with results in the present time
(announcing an event) e.g. the patient has been
admitted.

– State leading up to the present time (usually with the
verb be) e.g. He has been a heavy drinker for a long
time.

Past perfect (I had done) indicates past in the
past (one event following another in the past) e.g. He had never
had this trouble before.

Task 10

Another important stage of the medical consultation in
which doctors also need to deal with language connected to
medications is management. Some useful terms include the
notions of containers, modes of presentation, purpose, uses,
directions and adverse reactions.

1. This activity will allow you to learn some practical
   vocabulary associated with two of these; containers and
   modes of presentation. With the help of your teacher and
   the visual support provided in the picture supply the words
   missing in both diagrams.

2. .

   

   

3. Use the words in exercise a) to complete expressions
   below. Then compare with a partner. You may use each word more
   than once.

1. A bottle of Ibuprofen ___________
2. A/an ___________of Nistatine ointment.
3. A bottle of Merthiolate ___________
4. A/an___________ of inhalation powder.
5. A blister of Amoxicillin ___________
6. A/an _________ of Vick’s vaporub.
7. A/an _________ of Penicillin.

c) These are all warning statements taken from different
medicine labels. Choose the correct preposition to complete the
ideas. Then be ready to discuss your answers in
plenary.

1. Do not use __________ (by – for) mouth.
2. Avoid contact _________ (in – with) eyes.
3. It is important not to use this medication __________
   (for – during) the last three months of pregnancy.
4. Take 1 tablet every 4 to 6 hours __________ (while-
   during) symptoms persist.
5. Apply __________ (with – to) minor cuts and
   scratches 1 to3 times a day.
6. It may interact _________ (in – with) certain
   prescriptions.
7. Do not use the maximum dosage __________ (for- since)
   more than 2 weeks.

4. Work in groups, study the notes below, then read the
   information labelled in the materials provided by your teacher
   and prepare a brief talk about it. Try to include everything
   you consider necessary for an accurate understanding of its
   purposes, uses, directions and adverse reactions.
   E.g.

• Purpose: antacid, dietary
  supplement.
• Uses: relieves heartburn and sour stomach,
  helps promote healthy immune function and general
  well-being.
• Directions: chew 2-4 tablets as symptoms
  occur, one tablet daily preferable with a meal.
• Adverse reactions: do not take more
  than…, … may interact with certain prescription
  drugs.