Lecture 11

Treatments, Interventions, and Assistance

Musculoskeletal injuries are very common, and as a health professional, it is likely you will
assess and treat them on a daily basis. This section introduces language for that purpose, from
a patient call for an appointment, to the basic interview that gathers assessment data, to
medical/nursing interventions. The soscio cultural contexts of the doctor’s office and the
emergency department at hospitals acquaint the reader with health-care resources and
customs in the United States and Canada. Before we begin, take note of this particular
terminology.

Reading Selection
Read the following article. To help you understand the vocabulary, complete the exercises
that follow
WORD ALERT In the context of health care, it is important to distinguish the difference
between treatment, intervention, and assistance. Treatment refers to the medical actions
employed to fight diseases and disorders, as well as to relieve symptoms of illness or injury.
Intervention includes assessing, monitoring, observing, referring, and providing direct patient
care actions. Assistance refers to all of those caring activities that health-care professionals
engage in to educate, help, guide, or direct patient activities. Examples are assisting the
patient with a bath and helping the patient get in or out of a chair.

USE OF EMERGENCY ROOMS

Across Canada and the United States of America, patients have a tendency to use
emergency rooms at hospitals for nonemergency conditions. Rather than taking the time to
make an appointment with a doctor or seek out a medical clinic, it has become the norm to
simply pop into the nearest hospital emergency department. The result of this has been an
ever-increasing demand on nurses and doctors to triage the patients they see. They must
identify care priorities while sifting through the large numbers of people still waiting to be
seen. In actuality, the waiting room is often filled with people who do not fit the definition of
a patient suitable for emergency care.
Some of the complaints that people bring to the emergency rooms are simply minor in
nature. They may be complaining of a fever or flu-like symptoms. They may have a simple
rash or headache, perhaps even a sore stomach. They appear with their own subjective reports
of their conditions and request what they believe is appropriate treatment. In many cases, it is
simply that people want an antibiotic, analgesic, or a note for work that states they should
take the next few days off.
The problem with the inappropriate use of emergency rooms is that it overburdens the
staff and the facility. There is a shortage of nurses and doctors in some locales. Additionally,
there can be a shortage of hospital beds and accommodations for the ill. As a result, it is
unwise to tie up the system with less urgent cases. Walk-in clinics have sprung up around the
continent to provide easier access to health care and treatment, with no appointment
necessary. The intent is to encourage the public to use the walk in clinics rather than the
emergency departments at hospitals, saving the emergency rooms for what they were
originally designed for—emergency care. Progress in changing this pattern of behavior has
been slow over the past 20 years, but walk-in clinics are gaining in popularity. They are being
utilized more and more as the public becomes more familiar with and comfortable using
them.
READING EXERCISES
It is important not only to understand the general meaning of a passage, but also to remember
and understand the specifics given. Remember, health professions need specific details when
interviewing and assessing a patient. As you yourself recognize specifics, you will continue
to build your language skills.
Understanding the General Meaning
Read the text again. Think about it. In short paragraph form, write a summary of no more
than three sentences to demonstrate your understanding. Include the main point (thesis) of the
reading. __________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Learning Specifics
Take a moment now to review what you have just read.
1) What is the difference between the purpose of an emergency room and a medical clinic?
2) What term is used to explain the process of identifying cases that take priority over others
for treatment?
3) Who does the assessments in the emergency department?
4) Which countries are being referred to in this article?
5) Why is the emergency room at a hospital so busy?
6) What is the purpose of a walk-in clinic?
7) What is the main difference between a walk-in clinic and a doctor’s office or clinic?
8) Has public attitude changed about the use of emergency rooms yet? Explain
Building Vocabulary
To build vocabulary, study the following words or terms taken from the reading selection.
Discover all you can about them by looking at them in context.
Multiple Choice. Choose the correct meaning.
1) A non-emergency situation is not life threatening.
Life threatening means it is
a) critical.
b) serious.
c) valid.
2) Hospital staff must set care priorities and assess which patient should be treated first
and why.
In this context, the term care priorities means
a) assigning a duty doctor to the case.
b) understanding which case needs immediate attention.
c) giving assistance in an orderly fashion for everyone.
3) In disasters and emergencies, a triage team assesses who will be treated first.
In this context, triage can best be described as
a) a system of dealing with patients according to highest need first.
b) professionals who only deal with emergency cases.
c) another word for emergency.
4) If you have an appointment with a doctor or even a banker, you likely have to sit and
wait in his or her waiting room before being seen.
In this context, waiting room can be described as
a) the lobby.
b) a sitting area specifically for patients or clients.
c) a place to buy coffee and wait while your mom sees the doctor.
5) In health care, we need to obtain both objective and subjective reports. The first come
from lab reports, x-rays, etc. The second come from the patients themselves.
In this context, subjective reports means
a) the patient’s personal opinion of his or her own situation.
b) the topic of the visit.
c) another way to complain.
6) When too many people use the emergency room for reasons that are not urgent, they tie
up the doctors and nurses. They prevent them from doing the best work that they
 possibly can because staff members are pressed for time to see so many patients. In
this way, these people are tying up the system.
In this context, tying up the system means
a) interfering.
b) making unreasonable demands.
c) putting a rope around the staff and not letting them work.
VOCABULARY ALERT The reason a patient comes to see a doctor or other health professional is
because he or she has a health concern. These concerns are called patient complaints. In this context,
patient complaints can be described as meaning a subjective report of signs and symptoms of health or
illness.

Identifying Common Medical Complaints of the Musculoskeletal System. Use a word from the
Word Bank below to offer a possible diagnosis for the following signs and symptoms.

1) Swollen and red; limited movement WORDBANK

2) Painful to swing arm or play tennis -Sprain
3) Feels tight along the back of neck -Fracture
4) Can’t move wrist -Ostheoarthritis
5) Finger knuckles (joints) are swollen and disfigured -Muscle Tension
6) Pain and stiffness when trying to bend -Joint dystfunction or disease
7) Swollen, no movement possible -Muscle strain from overuse
-Arthritis
WRITING EXERCISE
Use your new vocabulary. Write two or three sentences by combining these words and names in a
meaningful way.
-grandmother -knit -hobby -arthritic
-talented disfigured -hands -fingers