Chapter 1 Spanish for Healthcare Workers

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Chapter 1

Spanish for Healthcare Workers

In This Chapter

Mastering basic terminology and emergency talk Dealing with admissions, forms, and insurance Interviewing and examining patients Offering a diagnosis and treatment plan

As a healthcare professional, you're dedicated to providing all your patients with the best treatment available, whatever language they happen to speak. Providing effective care, however, requires not only a thorough medical background but also an ability to clearly communicate with your patients. You need to be able to take your patients through the entire process -- from meeting and greeting them to filling out paperwork, and from asking them questions to delivering your diagnosis, treatment plan, and instructions.

In the course of a single chapter, we can't possibly tell you everything you need to know to fully understand what your Spanish-speaking patients tell you or what you need to tell them, but we can bring you up to speed on the basics and show you how to communicate in the most common scenarios. Here, we cover the basics of gathering information from patients and explaining to patients the diagnosis and treatment.

Refer to the early chapters in Book I for basic coverage of conversational Spanish, including a pronunciation guide in Chapter 1. Book I, Chapter 3 leads you through the basics of meeting and greeting people, while Chapter 4 shows you how to engage in small talk -- for when you're just getting to know your patients.

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First Things First: Key Words and Emergency Lingo

Whatever your role is in serving patients -- whether you're a receptionist meeting the patient for the first time or the doctor who ultimately provides diagnosis and treatment -- you need to know some basic doctor's office vocabulary and how to communicate with patients in emergency situations. In the following sections, we introduce you to some general terminology along with Spanish names for body parts and internal organs. We also provide key phrases for dealing with accidents and emergencies.

Doctor-speak: Using basic terminology

When you're in a healthcare situation, whether in a doctor's office, pharmacy, or emergency room, you're likely to use many of the terms in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1

English blood pressure

bowel movement (evacuation) constipation doctor

health healthy left medication; medicine nausea; sickness nurse pharmacist pharmacy prescription right

General Health-Related Words

Spanish la presi?n sangu?nea

Pronunciation

lah preh-seeohn sahn-ghee-neh-ah

la evacuaci?n

lah eh-bvah-kooah-seeohn

el estre?imiento doctor/a m?dico/a la salud sano/a izquierdo/a la medicina la n?usea enfermera el farmac?utico la farmacia la receta derecho/a

ehl ehs-treh-nyee-meeehn-toh dohk-tohr/rah meh-dee-koh/kah sah-lood sah-noh/nah ees-keeehr-doh/dah lah meh-dee-see-nah lah nahoo-seh-ah ehn-fehr-meh-rah ehl fahr-mah-sehoo-tee-koh lah fahr-mah-seeah lah reh-seh-tah deh-reh-choh/chah

English sick sneeze surgery syrup; elixir urine wound

341 Chapter 1: Spanish for Healthcare Workers

Spanish enfermo/a el estornudo la cirug?a el jarabe la orina la herida

Pronunciation ehn-fehr-moh/mah ehl ehs-tohr-noo-doh lah see-roo-Hee-ah ehl Hah-rah-bveh lah oh-ree-nah lah eh-ree-dah

Naming body parts

Fortunately, you and your patient can probably refer to body parts simply by pointing to them -- although this method can get a bit tricky when it comes to internal organs. A more efficient way to communicate with your Spanishspeaking patients is to brush up your Spanish anatomy terminology. Table 1-2 brings you up to speed and acts as a quick reference.

Table 1-2

English Head and Neck Words cheek chin cranium ear eye eyeball face forehead hair head jaw lip mouth neck

Spanish Terminology for Body Parts

Spanish

Pronunciation

la mejilla la barba el cr?neo la oreja el ojo el globo el rostro la frente el pelo la cabeza la mand?bula el labio la boca el cuello

lah meh-Hee-yah lah bvahr-bvah ehl krah-neh-oh lah oh-reh-Hah ehl oh-Hoh ehl gloh-bvoh ehl rohs-troh lah frehn-teh ehl peh-loh lah kah-bveh-sah lah mahn-dee-bvoo-lah ehl lah-bveeoh lah bvoh-kah ehl kooeh-yoh

(continued)

Book IV

Spanish at Work

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Table 1-2 (continued)

English

Spanish

nose

la nariz

tongue tonsils

la lengua las am?gdalas

Arm and Hand Words

arm

el brazo

elbow

el codo

finger

el dedo

finger (forefinger)

el dedo ?ndice

finger (little)

el dedo me?ique

finger (middle)

el dedo del medio

finger (ring)

el dedo anular

fist

el pu?o

forearm

el antebrazo

hand

la mano

palm of the hand

la palma de la mano

shoulder

el hombro

thumb

el pulgar

wrist

la mu?eca

Leg and Foot Words

ankle

el tobillo

calf

la pantorrilla

foot

el pie

heel

el tal?n

knee

la rodilla

leg

la pierna

nail

la u?a

sole of the foot thigh

la planta del pie el muslo

toe

el dedo del pie

Pronunciation lah nah-rees lah lehn-gooah lahs ah-meeg-dah-lahs

ehl bvrah-soh ehl koh-doh ehl deh-doh ehl deh-doh een-dee-seh ehl deh-doh meh-nyee-keh ehl deh-doh dehl meh-deeoh ehl deh-doh ah-noo-lahr ehl poo-nyoh ehl ahn-teh-bvrah-soh lah mah-noh lah pahl-mah deh lah mah-noh ehl ohm-broh ehl pool-gahr lah moo-nyeh-kah

ehl toh-bvee-yoh lah pahn-toh-rree-yah ehl peeeh ehl tah-lohn lah roh-dee-yah lah peeehr-nah lah oo-nyah lah plahn-tah dehl peeeh ehl moos-loh ehl deh-doh dehl peeeh

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English Internal Organs and Other Stuff bladder blood bone bowel; intestine; gut brain gallbladder heart joint kidney liver lung muscle nerve pancreas skin spleen stomach uterus

Spanish

la vejiga la sangre el hueso el intestino el cerebro la ves?cula el coraz?n la articulaci?n el ri??n el h?gado el pulm?n el m?sculo el nervio el p?ncreas la piel el vientre el est?mago el ?tero

Pronunciation

lah bve-Hee-gah lah sahn-greh ehl ooeh-soh ehl een-tehs-tee-noh ehl seh-reh-bvroh lah bveh-see-koo-lah ehl koh-rah-sohn lah ahr-tee-koo-lah-seeohn ehl ree-nyohn ehl ee-gah-doh el pool-mohn ehl moos-koo-loh ehl nehr-bveeoh ehl pahn-kree-ahs lah peeehl ehl bveeehn-treh ehl ehs-toh-mah-goh ehl oo-teh-roh

Dealing with emergencies

In emergency situations, you have very little time to establish rapport with the patient. You need to find out what's going on in a hurry and then issue whatever commands necessary to get the patient to cooperate. Here's a list of questions that can help you quickly ascertain what happened and evaluate the patient's condition:

Can you hear me? ?Me puede o?r? (meh pooeh-deh oheer)

Can you talk? ?Puede hablar? (pooeh-deh ah-bvlahr)

What is your name? ?C?mo se llama? (koh-moh seh yah-mah)

Book IV

Spanish at Work

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