Critical Care Medicine: What Medical Practitioners Mean When a Patient’s Condition is Critical

Imagine a situation where you have rushed your loved one to a doctor specializing in critical care medicine in Humble North after showing possible signs of a heart attack. Since you are worried about their health state, your only option is to ask the doctor how they are progressing. The doctor’s response will depend on how the patient responds to ER or treatment options depending on their state. So if a doctor declares your loved one’s state as critical, you likely will fear for their life.

Most people do not understand that doctors use special terms to determine their situation. In medicine, doctors are not allowed to mince their words when communicating a patient’s current state, no matter how disturbing they may sound. Here are some commonly used terms to help you understand a patient’s condition:

1. Under assessment

Assessment tests are conducted to determine a patient’s condition. Doctors use this term to inform you that the patient will only be released once they diagnose the patient. If a doctor tells you that the patient is under assessment, it would be best to wait until they get to the root cause of the problem.

2. Serious

If you or someone you know has a condition that is declared serious by a doctor from the Houston Diabetes Institute, it means they are acutely sick. Such a patient’s state is unstable and may change for better or worse depending on how they respond to treatments. At this point, the doctor is not sure about what the patient’s fate will be

3. Fair

When a doctor describes a patient’s health state as fair, it means they are conscious. However, it doesn’t mean they are out of trouble yet. The patient could still be in an uncomfortable state.

4. Critical

When a patient’s state is termed critical, chances are they could either die or recover from an injury or disease. Doctors use this term to communicate unstable vital signs out of the normal limits. For example, if a patient has had a heart attack due to a heart condition, their state might be considered critical. At this point, you’ll need to cross your fingers, hoping they get out of danger.

5. Good

The patient is displaying stable vital signs that are within normal range. In most cases, a patient in a good state is conscious and doesn’t experience uncomfortable symptoms after their treatment. At this point, a doctor may sign the patient’s release or discharge papers after confirming they have responded well to the treatments.

See a critical care medicine expert to understand medical terminologies

Not everybody may understand medical terminologies, but it helps to have the basic terms at your fingertips. At the hospital, a doctor may communicate a patient’s condition depending on the guidelines. That means if you don’t understand what the doctor says, you can ask them to shed more light. That way, you’ll know which moves to make when deciding a patient’s medical plan. To learn more about critical care medicine services, schedule a consultation with your doctor today.