Printable View
I am a medical transcriptionist and have a question. Dictated at the end of most operative reports is the statement, "The patient was awoke/awoken/awakened/woken and taken to the recovery room in stable condition." Which of these forms is correct? I tend to transcribe "awakened," but since I hear so many different ways of stating this, I would like to be sure. Thanks! :?:
I'd say " The patient was awoken/ awakened." :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Tea
This gets confusing because there are three different verbs with the same meaning:Quote:
Originally Posted by Tea
wake/woke/woken
awake/awoke or awaked/awaked or awoken
awaken/awakened/awakened
To form the passive voice, one uses [to be + past participle].
One can take one's choice of the past participles (in red).
Personally, I would use "awakened".
These three verbs really are confusing. Awaken seems the safest way to go.
The meanings are pretty much the same, but wake and awaken sound very natural when used as transitive (or intransitive) verbs.
He wakes/awakens his children at 7 each morning. (I actually use the phrasal verb wake up more often than wake.)
But awake seems more at home as an intransitive verb.
I awake at 7 each morning. sounds natural,
but
I awake the children at 7. seems stilted.
Another slight difference is that awaken is used more often metphorically.
The experience awakened his interest in art history.
Woken has a wonderful Old English sound to it, and perhaps for that reason ;-) it seems to be used less often than awakened.
I think the form in most common use nowadays is woken, although I would favour awakened for formal use as here.
Verbbusters is a good quick reference for this sort of thing.
Hi
The use of words depends on the situation.
The patient was awake is the best choice if the patient was awaken by himself/ herself.
In the medical world, there are strict preferences. The typical word of choice is woken in the event that, "the patient was woken at 4am for medication". Or, "the patient was woken by pain". It's just shorter, right? It is generally not seen in records that "the patient was unawakened" or "not woken by", but rather that the patient was "unresponsive to [stimulus]".
For some consulting doctors or social workers in health care, "the patient and family are now awakened to [treatment options, tertiary care, prognosis, situation, circumstance].
As you see, one is more physical, the other more spiritual. One from an exterior impression or influence and one from an internal experience or expression. You will find this used similarly in very old texts and writings.
As we wake, then wake up the children, we are all awakened to the beauty of the ocean and the dolphins surfing our bow wake.