Explaining and describing

AIM: To practise explaining clearly what things are and what people do

INTRODUCTION: In the sex case, the patient is asked to describe the discharge. To do this, she makes a comparison:

[It’s] a bit like the stuff that comes out your nose when you’ve got a cold.

She might also say it was similar to or the same as.

Definitions can be provided in many different ways.

A papilloma is a small harmless lump usually found on the skin.
A phlebotomist is someone specially trained to take blood.
Halitosis is another way of saying bad breath.

INSTRUCTIONS: Drag and drop into the space on the right to match each term from the box with the phrase that could be used to define it in simple terms.

... is the stuff that comes out of your nose when you’ve got a cold.
... is someone who specialises in taking ultrasound images of the heart.
... is a machine used to give an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rate.
... is what we call it when urine leaks out of your bladder.
... is a device to support a limb and stop it from moving.
... stands for cerebrovascular accident, which is another way of talking about a stroke.
... is a special tool for looking into the ear.
... is a liquid produced in the mouth that helps us swallow and digest food.
... are like varicose veins inside your anal canal.
... is the medical term for kneecap.
... describes what may happen to someone with an alcohol addiction when they stop drinking.
... are substances you take to cause vomiting.

Please answer every question before continuing.

FOLLOW-UP: Using phrases from the activity, how would you explain the following terms to a patient? (There are no answers provided for this activity.)

acute MI
otolaryngologist
pharyngitis
bile
OCP
tinea pedis

SSRI
sphygmomanometer
dysphagia
ophthalmologist
anosmia
rheum

... is a substance/liquid/tool to [verb] ...
... are things (used) for [verb]ing ...
... is a device/machine/drug that ...
... is someone who ...

... stands for ...
... is a medical/technical way of saying ...
... describes what happens (to someone) when ...
... is what we call it when ...