Some Common Errors in Medical English Writing Word Usage
When writing in technical and specialized fields, writers need to be aware of and follow myriad rules and standards. These rules are addressed in various style manuals. For medical writing, editing, and proofreading, the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style is the most widely used and accepted. This manual covers a broad range of topics, from how to prepare a manuscript for publication, to the correct use of special medical words and other terms often used in medical writing.
The term usage refers to the rules and standards for both the correct and preferred use of words and phrases. While some usage may be correct, it can still seem awkward if it is not the preferred usage. Even when grammatically correct, words and phrases can still appear to be incorrect to readers. Editors and proofreaders often notice that some usage errors are fairly common in medical writing, even for native English writers. We would like to share some of them with you so you can be vigilant against them in your own writing. For more complete information, please see the AMA Manual of Style. If you are serious about medical writing in English, we strongly recommend that you purchase and use this manual.
Abnormal versus Normal
Writers usually use these two words correctly to describe various findings, such as those from a physical examination of a patient. The mistake medical writers most frequently make, however, is in describing an examination itself as normal or abnormal. Almost all examinations are normal because they usually follow the accepted procedure. If an examination is abnormal, it could mean that the doctor was not doing their job. Nonetheless, if an educated native English speaker who understands medical writing is asked what an abnormal examination is, they would have difficulty explaining. The mistake here is leaving out the word findings, which makes it sound as if they are incorrectly describing the examination itself, instead of what has been found out about the patient.
The following sentence is written correctly:
The findings from the physical examination were normal.
Of course, there are other correct ways of communicating this idea. The important thing in medical writing is to be clear that what you are describing are your findings or observations, not the actual examination.
Acute
The word acute is sometimes used incorrectly in medical writing to mean severe. Although these two words are somewhat interchangeable in casual language, acute and severe are not synonymous words in medical writing.
The terms acute and chronic are the correct ones to use in describing the duration of symptoms, diseases, or conditions. They are not used to indicate whether a condition is mild or severe. An acute condition is one that lasts for a relatively short time, while a chronic condition is one that lasts for a longer time. Therefore, an acute asthma attack in a chronic asthma patient refers to an asthma attack of relatively short duration (an acute asthma attack) in a patient who has been suffering from asthma for a long time (a chronic asthma patient).
Whether a certain condition is acute or chronic may depend on the typical duration for that condition. The important thing to remember here for good medical writing is that acute should not be used to mean severe.
Biopsy
The word biopsy refers to the process of removing and examining a sample of cells, tissue, or fluid. It is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to the sample that was removed from the body. The correct phrase for that, however, is biopsy specimen or simply specimen. The word biopsy should not be used alone to refer to the specimen removed from a body.
It is very important to avoid these common errors and others like them in medical English writing. English medical writing can range from the barely comprehensible document that leaves its reader wondering what the writer is trying to communicate to a flawless document seemingly written by a doctor.
Whether you do your own medical English writing or ask someone to work with you, we recommend that all professionals take the necessary steps to ensure that their medical English writing will reflect the highest possible degree of excellence.This includes adhering to correct word usage in English medical writing.
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