“Go on, dive in. You’ll have to do some digging... she’s big heifer”. Such was one of my earliest forays into surgical medicine. As a student new to the clinical environment, I was somewhat surprised by the pervasiveness of derogatory slang used to describe patients, and I questioned how I wanted to interact with those around me - be they doctors, patients or students. Reading around this topic led to an excerpt by Komesaroff (2008) in which he presents his theory of micro ethics. Addressing the disparity between traditional bioethical teachings and the realities of clinical practice, he ultimately emphasises the importance of the smallest of ethical decisions in patient care - be it facial expression, tone of questioning or the often inconspicuous acts of trust. A recent article published in the AMA Journal of Ethics entitled Derogatory Slang in the Hospital Setting discussed the ethical import of argot used by medical professionals. As Goldman presents, argot - or slang- serves as a code employed by a particular group to convey meaning to another member without the comprehension of a bystander. It may serve to provide emotional distance between the speaker and a complex or …show more content…
challenging event, facilitate a bond between users, or communicate disgust at being called to manage with an unpleasant situation. Of ethical importance is slang used to convey disdain or frustration with patients, colleagues, or clinical situations without alerting others to one’s disrespect. The hole, is such an example, when used to describe the surgical field in an obese patient. When considering Komesaroff’s rhetoric on the micro ethical context of clinical interaction in relation to both my observation of clinical practice and Goldman’s reflections, it would appear the implication of such underlying attitudes as conveyed using argot is to neglect appreciation of the micro ethical context of clinical practice. Whatever the inciting event - be it bonding, emotional distance or frustration - it can seem that a practitioner’s solution to navigating the complexity of the micro ethical milieu of patient interaction is to skirt its meaningful consideration. As we are trained to perform the “sensitive” gynaecological exam, and instructed in appropriately empathic questioning routine, on occasion it can appear to be naught but routine. Perhaps it is naivety or my inability to appreciate the complexities of clinical interaction, once the curtain is drawn across the anxious face now known as the ‘fluffy [fat] Lap-Chole in Bed 15’, there doesn’t always appear to be significant consideration given to “the real material of medical practice” (Komesaroff, 2008). Whilst there are countless sensitive, empathetic and inherently respectful practitioners, the relative prevalence of such slang within the hospital setting can be an perturbing introduction to clinical insensitivity to the micro ethical context of medicine.
As Komesaroff warns, the consequences of such neglect can be substantial - for both patient and practitioner. When considering the dynamic nature of clinical interaction, the outcome of which is the sum of “a continuum of decisions of almost infinitesimal magnitude” (Komesaroff, 2008), the impact of derogatory medical slang becomes all the more apparent. Carrying this reflection into the future, all I can hope is that when I myself am seeking distance from a trying situation, I am not too often tempted into disparaging patients or
colleagues.
For anyone who has ever worked in healthcare, or simply for someone who has watched a popular hit television show such as Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, House or ER know that there can be times when a doctor or health care provider is placed in extremely difficult situations. Often times, those situations are something that we watch from the sidelines and hope for the best in the patient’s interest. However, what happens when you place yourself inside the doctors, nurses, or any other of the medical provider’s shoes? What if you were placed in charge of a patient who had an ethically challenging situation? What you would you do then? That is precisely what Lisa Belkin accomplishes in her book “First Do No Harm”. Belkin takes the reader on
The case of Marguerite M presents an ethical dilemma. Medical ethics play a special role in medicine and is directly concerned with its practice. Its role has continued to evolve as changes develop in
———. "A surgeon's code of behaviour and ethics, c. 1376." English Historical Documents. Accessed December 8, 2013. http://www.historystudycenter.com/search/displaySuitemPageImageItemById.do?UseMapping=SuitemPageImage&QueryName=suitem&ItemID=10648&resource=ehd&imageNumber=4&scale=100.
The Advisory Board Company claims, “A recent review of clinical trials reveals that a doctor's bedside manner can greatly impact patients' health, aiding their efforts to lose weight, lower their blood pressure, or manage painful symptoms.” When doctors are treating patients poorly, it will cause anxiety and stress, which in turn causes physical health problems. Harm is not only caused by the manner in which a doctor treats their patient, but also by the way a doctor is treating other medical professional. Arrogant doctors can get so caught up with pride that they completely disregard the advice of other people in the medical field. That pride causes mistakes, which can severely harm patients. To put it simply, better bedside manner equals better patient health. In fact, “Some communication techniques have proven to make people feel better and help them heal faster.” ("Study: Physicians' Bedside Manner Affects Patients'
Professionalism initiative. (2012). Informally published manuscript, Medical Center, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, Retrieved from http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/fafd/professionalism-initiative.html
The purpose of this essay is to reflect and critically study an incident from a clinical setting whilst using a model of reflection. This will allow me to analyse and make sense of the incident and draw conclusions relating to personal learning outcomes. The significance of critical analysis and critical incidents will briefly be discussed followed by the process of reflection using the chosen model. The incident will then be described and analysed and the people involved introduced. (The names of the people involved have been changed to protect their privacy) and then I will examine issues raised in light of the recent literature relating to the incident. My essay will include a discussion of communication, interpersonal skills used in the incident, and finally evidence based practice. I will conclude with explaining what I have learned from the experience and how it will change my future actions.
David A. Fein and Milton Millhauser have both written articles pertaining to the topic of slang. Fein and Millhauser provide two different viewpoints, and they employ information and their opinions in different ways. David A. Fein’s article, “Vulgarity by Teaching Slang in the Classroom”, makes a good argument as to why slang should be utilized in teaching, while Milton Millhauser’s article, “The Case Against Slang”, explains that slang is to be avoided in teaching, but fails to provide a good argument for his claim.
Have Curse Words Become So Common They Have Lost Their Shock Value?Curse words started being used in school and are used against one another, but now students talk as if there is no meaning to them.In my opinion I think that curse words are used too much because, curse words are supposed to be used when you are mad, they are used in every sentence, and people curse everyday.
In this diverse society we are confronted everyday with so many ethical choices in provision of healthcare for individuals. It becomes very difficult to find a guideline that would include a border perspective which might include individual’s beliefs and preference across the world. Due to these controversies, the four principles in biomedical ethic which includes autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice help us understand and explain which medical practices are ethical and acceptable. These principles are not only used to protect the rights of a patient but also the physician from being violated.
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "The Principles Approach." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 36-37. Print.
There are weaknesses in professional guidelines and rules because they are unable to provide the directives for moral reasoning and action is health care situations. Many people state that biomedical ethics provides a framework and emphasis on the person rather than the professional code and legal policy (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). On the other hand they serve a purpose to provide some direction for professionals however codes of practise do not dismiss.
Macklin R. (2003). Applying the Four Principles, Journal of Medical Ethics; 29: p.275-280 doi:10.1136/jme.29.5.275.retrieved from http:// jme.bmj.com/content/29/5/275.full
McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM.
We live in a world where any type of swearing or cursing is ubiquitous. It is almost impossible to not hear a swear word when in public places or even at home. Not much can be done about the swearing situation as it is sometimes seen as a rebellious act or as an intensifier that adds no meaning but adds an “emotional punch” to any utterance. Swear words, especially the “F-word” and words involving sexual terms or racial slurs are looked down on. People using swear words are seen as uneducated, vulgar or low class people. Swear words are often attached to stereotypes when it comes down to who swears the most between men and women and gender roles come into play here. This will be explained and described further into the essay. Many people get offended by swear words, no matter what age, but that is because everyone has a different offensiveness threshold. One word that is offensive to one person may be the word used regularly by another person.
Slang is the use of words and phrases in an informal way. We often use slang to make communicating easier. Slang can be used in both speech and text and affects the way students communicate. We use slang in text to express emotions such as, “LOL.” Slang is also commonly used in our everyday lives. Although, slang can be used to make communication with another individual easier it can also lead to problems with the way they act at school. Slang can also cause people to feel excluded from a certain social group. Without the knowledge of the lingo people will feel left out. Understanding the uses of slang can help determine what kinds social