Medical Discourse Community

As I walked up the short, stoned stairs attached to the side of the hospital I saw tobacco splits on the walls and I could feel the horrifying smell of the hospital outside. When I entered the door, I saw a man sleeping on the ground with his duffle bag as a pillow. As I walk down the hallway I could see rooms on each side of me. Patients were lying in metal beds with a thin mattress. There was a tiny metal table next to each patient with their medicine and water. There were two to three patients in a single room. As I approached to reception, a long line was formed with sick patients waiting to be treated. I couldn’t see what was happening in front. These people were lacking a basic necessity we all need. I asked myself what I could do to

They are all part of the medical discourse community. According to Linguist John Swales, a discourse community is a group of people with a common goal or purpose who use some form of communication to achieve these goals. Swales also explains that for a community to be considered discourse it must meet six defining characteristics. First, it must have a broadly agreed set of common public goals. Second, it must have mechanisms of intercommunication among their members. Third, it must use its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback. Fourth, it must utilize and possess one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. Fifth, it must acquire some specific lexis, or language. Finally, it must have a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise. If all of Swales’ characteristics are not met, then a community cannot be considered discourse. The medical community is a prime example of a discourse community which meets all six of Swales

Without communication, there is no discussion or exchange of idea. This community grows and members gain knowledge only by “active and engaging communication that results in action” (Yamin). Health professionals practice many forms of communication, but there are three important types that every member practices to keep this community functioning. One, they communicate between health facilities and share information. Second, they communicate within their own health facility to provide general care and treatment to the patients. Third, they communicate among one another to provide each individual patient with the care they need. “Communication between physicians, paramedics, and/or nurses must be clear, concise, and contain no ambiguity” (The Analysis of Medical Discourse Community). The patient’s history and care provided need to be accurately documented, either on paper or electronically. It is important that mistakes do not occur in the chain of communication between different medical professionals or it could lead to consequences. These different communication methods work together to make sure a patient receives proper treatment and care. The medical discourse community is one of the largest and complex community to exist. It contains several different components that all vary depending on the specialty, therefore many ideas are shared within. The ideas and information