Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Medicine & Health

English Grammar Essentials

Active and Passive Voice Tenses

Time Clauses and Subordinating Conjunctions

Pharmacology Fundamentals

Medical Prescription Components and Units

A medical prescription includes the date, patient identification (such as name, age, and weight if relevant), the Rx symbol (meaning "take"), the inscription (drug name, strength, dosage form, and quantity), the subscription (instructions to the pharmacist), the signatura or "Sig." (directions for the patient including route, frequency, and duration), the prescriber's information (name, signature, license number), and refill instructions. Units of measurement include micrograms (µg), milligrams (mg), grams (g), milliliters (mL), liters (L), concentrations such as percentage (%) and mg/mL, international units (IU), and sometimes weight per kilogram of body weight. Obsolete units... Continue reading "Pharmacology Essentials: Drug Forms, Actions, and Therapeutic Classes" »

Professional Templates for Missed Dental Appointments

Effective communication is crucial when following up with patients who have missed a scheduled dental visit. These templates demonstrate professional, patient-focused approaches used by Capdent Clinic and Happy Clinic, emphasizing the importance of consistent oral care and providing clear rescheduling instructions.

Capdent Clinic: Follow-up on Missed General Appointment

Correspondence Details

• Subject: Missed Appointment Follow-up – Capdent Clinic
• Recipient: María Martínez

Message Content

Dear María Martínez,

We hope this message finds you well and in good health.

We recently noticed that you were unable to attend your scheduled dental appointment on May 9, 2025, at 6:00 PM, and we wanted to... Continue reading "Effective Clinic Communication for Missed Dental Appointments" »

Here's a list of common English words and their meanings:

1. Want: Desire something.
2. Soar: Rise high.
3. Wail: Cry loudly.
4. Fell: Knock down or drop.
5. Get into: Become involved.
6. Spring: Jump or the season.
7. Own: Possess something.
8. Wore: Past of "wear", dressed.
9. Ride: Travel or sit on.
10. Smiled: Past of "smile", grinned.
11. Flow: Move smoothly. (Corrected from "Fow")
12. Slowly: At a slow pace.
13. Robbery: Theft.
14. Flat: Level surface or an apartment.
15. Fridge: Refrigerator.
16. Disagree: Differ in opinion.
17. Fed: Past of "feed", gave food.
18. Forward: Toward the front.
19. Will: Intent or future tense.
20. Weight: Mass or heaviness.
21. Behind: At the back of.
22. Hurt: Cause pain or injury.
23. Copula: A linking verb (Corrected from "Copboola")
24. Brushed: Past of "brush", swept or touched lightly.
25. Taste: Flavor or sample.

Your Medication Instructions

Dear [Patient’s Name],

During our last consultation, I noticed you had some questions about how to take your medications. Here are some simple instructions to help you remember everything and feel more confident.

Medication for [Illness/Condition]

• Name: [Name of the medicine]
• Form: [Form: tablet, capsule, syrup, etc.]
• Dose: [Amount, e.g., 10 mg]
• Purpose: It helps to [purpose, e.g., lower your blood pressure].
• Frequency: Take it [how often, e.g., twice a day], preferably [when, e.g., in the morning and before bed].
• Instructions: Take it [route: by mouth, apply to the skin, inject, etc.]. [Other instructions: e.g., always take it with food, shake before use, do not crush, etc.].
• Tip: Try linking it to your meals or brushing

Common Medical Conditions

Asthma

Children with asthma cough and wheeze when they breathe out. They become very short of breath when an attack occurs.

A Cold

Sometimes a child has a cough and a fever with a cold. A bad cough can make a child vomit.

Croup

Children under three years old sometimes experience croup. They have a sore throat and they wheeze when they breathe in. When they cough, it often sounds like a dog barking.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia symptoms include a temperature over 102ºF (39ºC), rapid breathing, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, and occasionally coughing up blood.

Essential Medical Terminology

• Central Nervous System
• Coma
• Abnormalities
• Cardiovascular System
• Respiratory System
• Blood Pressure
• Dangerous Conditions
• Gastrointestinal System
• Intestines
• Abdominal

Tongue

Medical Diagnosis and Terminology

• Diagnosis of exclusion: Diagnosis made by ruling out other diseases.
• Diagnostician: A medical professional who specializes in making diagnoses.
• Clinical diagnosis: Diagnosis made by looking at symptoms.
• Principal diagnosis: The main problem the patient needs treatment for.
• Pattern recognition: Knowing what symptoms match which disease.
• Laboratory diagnosis: Diagnosis made using lab test results.
• Radiology diagnosis: Diagnosis made from medical images (like X-rays).
• Antimicrobial: Kills or stops germs like bacteria or fungi.
• Biohazard: Something biological that can be dangerous (like viruses).
• Transmit: To spread an illness to another person.
• Bacteria: Tiny living things that can cause infections.
• Hand sanitizer: Gel or

Hospital Management System: Context Level DFD

+-------------------+
|      Patient      |
+-------------------+
          |
          | Appointment / Details
          v
+--------------------------------------------+
|    (0) Hospital Management System          |
+--------------------------------------------+
          ^
          | Reports / Bills
+-------------------+
|  Doctor / Admin   |
+-------------------+
          ^
          |
+-------------------+
|  Pharmacy / Lab   |
+-------------------+

System Entities and Data Flow

This context diagram illustrates the primary interactions with the central system:

• External Entities: Patient, Doctor/Admin, Pharmacy/Lab.
• Central Process: The Hospital Management System (Process 0).
• Data Flow: Information

Respiratory Conditions: Key Summaries

Bronchial Asthma

Reversible airway hyperresponsiveness.

Atopic Triad

• Asthma
• Rhinitis
• Dermatitis

Mechanism: IgE mediated, involving eosinophils (leading to bronchospasm, mucus, and edema).

Chronic Changes: Fibrosis and smooth muscle hypertrophy.

Clinical Presentation

• Wheeze
• Dyspnea
• Cough
• Chest tightness

Diagnosis

• FEV1 < 80%
• FEV1/FVC < 80%
• Reversibility test > 12%

Acute Severe Features

Arrhythmia, cyanosis, hypoxia, silent chest.

Treatment

1. SABA (Salbutamol)
2. Low ICS (Fluticasone)
3. ICS + LABA (Formoterol)

Acute Management

Oxygen, nebulized SABA, Ipratropium, systemic corticosteroids, IV magnesium sulfate. Mechanical ventilation if severe.

Pneumonias (12-16)

Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Pathogens

Streptococcus pneumoniae,... Continue reading "Respiratory Conditions: Asthma, Pneumonia, and Tuberculosis Summary" »

Essential Definitions of Key Laboratory Parameters

Understanding common blood and urine test results is crucial for health management. Below are definitions for 23 essential laboratory parameters, categorized for clarity.

Hematology and Red Blood Cell Metrics

• Hematocrit: The percentage of red blood cells in the blood.
• MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume): A measure of the average size of red blood cells.
• MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin): A measure of the average amount of hemoglobin inside a red blood cell.
• MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration): A measure of the concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of packed red blood cells.
• RDW (Red Cell Distribution Width): A measure of the variation in size of red blood cells.
• MPV (Mean Platelet Volume)