[Vocabulary] someone coming with patient...

[Narkises]

Hi,

who is someone that takes a patient to hospital? Patients almost go to doctor with their partners, parents, friends and... What do you call these people?

 

[GoesStation]

English doesn't have a general term for a person accompanying a patient to a medical appointment.

 

[Narkises]

Really?

 

[Narkises]

What should I do now? Can I say "Patient accompanier"? :roll:

 

[Rover_KE]

Or 'the patient's escort'.

 

[GoesStation]

I Googled for such a term. One site I found mentioned "the person accompanying the patient".

 

[Narkises]

Or 'the patient's escort'.

Why did you change "companion"? Was that wrong?

 

[Rover_KE]

I thought 'escort' was better. 'Companion' works, too.

If the patient is infirm or needs help in communicating, you can say 'carer'.

If the patient or doctor speaks little or no English - 'interpreter'.

 

[teechar]

Hospitals often ask for a patient's next of kin.

 

[GoesStation]

The next of kin does not necessarily accompany the patient to an appointment though.

 

[Tdol]

What do you call these people?

Partners, parents, friends, etc.;-)

 

[andrewg927]

What should I do now? Can I say "Patient accompanier"? :roll:

Please don't use this word. People won't understand you.

 

[andrewg927]

I found "patient sitter"

 

[GoesStation]

I found "patient sitter"

I wouldn't use that word either.

 

[andrewg927]

I wouldn't use that word either.

I found this company that offers patient sitter services. Their goal is to replace hospitals' nursing staff with one on one patient observation care. So that wouldn't be appropriate for this question.

But there is something called medical transport service. Their goal is to drive people who have to be under anesthesia to and back from the surgery center/hospital. That's the closest I can think of for something like what the student asked.

 

[Tdol]

What should I do now? Can I say "Patient accompanier"? :roll:

Not really- you're trying to come up with a name for something where the concept doesn't really exist in English, so the most likely result will be confusion. Simple say the person with/accompanying the patient/client, etc.

(Some people use client instead of patient nowadays, though I still think of myself as a patient in medical contexts.)

 

[Narkises]

Not really- you're trying to come up with a name for something where the concept doesn't really exist in English, so the most likely result will be confusion. Simple say the person with/accompanying the patient/client, etc.

(Some people use client instead of patient nowadays, though I still think of myself as a patient in medical contexts.)

IIn psychological contexts, we use "client" too. But if someone have a cancer, (s)he definitely is a patient.

 

[Narkises]

Not really- you're trying to come up with a name for something where the concept doesn't really exist in English, so the most likely result will be confusion. Simple say the person with/accompanying the patient/client, etc.

(Some people use client instead of patient nowadays, though I still think of myself as a patient in medical contexts.)

I like to say "patient's companion" or "patient's escort" which Rover taught me.

 

[GoesStation]

I'd urge you to make the person's function clear in the description by calling them the person accompanying the patient at least in the first reference. If you need to refer to such people repeatedly in a document, you can shorten it to patient's companion in later references.