專業術語
A person who is very overweight, with a lot of body fat.31
31. NHS. Obesity. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/. Last accessed September 2021.
A medicine that is taken through the mouth.32
32. Cambridge Dictionary. Orally. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/orally. Last accessed September 2021.
Medicines that are sold directly to patients without a requirement for a prescription from a doctor.33
33. Cambridge. Over the counter. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/over-the-counter. Last accessed September 2021.
A small device that is placed in the chest to help control irregular heart rhythms.34
34. NIH. Pacemakers. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/pacemakers. Last accessed September 2021.
A blockage of a pulmonary artery (blood vessel supplying the lungs) by blood clots that travel from veins in the legs or, more rarely, from other parts of the body to the lungs.35
35. Mayo Clinic. Pulmonary embolism. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354647. Last accessed September 2021.
Medicines that must be prescribed by a qualified health professional such as a physician, hospital doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, optometrist, physiotherapist or podiatrist.36
36. NHS. Medicines information. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medicines-information/. Last accessed September 2021.
An appointment that takes place between a patient and a doctor or nurse etc. Over the telephone or using video, rather than face-to-face.37
37. NHS. Clinical guide for the management of remote consultations and remote working in secondary care during the coronavirus pandemic. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/media/default/about/covid-19/specialty-guides/specialty-guide-virtual-working-and-coronavirus.pdf. Last accessed September 2021.
Something that increases the chance of developing a disease, such as obesity or smoking.38
38. MedicineNet. Medical Definition of Risk factor. Available at: https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5377. Last accessed September 2021.
Unwanted and undesirable effects caused by a drug, also known as adverse reactions. All medicines can have side effects, particularly if they are not used as advised. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines.39,40
39. US FDA. Finding and learning about side effects (adverse reactions). Available at: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/finding-and-learning-about-side-effects-adverse-reactions. Last accessed October 2021.
40. Yellow Card. FAQs. Available at: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/faqs/. Last accessed September 2021.
A serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked by a blood clot or when a blood vessel in the brain breaks open and bleeds. This may prevent oxygen from reaching the brain.41,42
41. NHS. Stroke. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stroke/. Last accessed September 2021.
42. Healthline. Everything You Need to Know About Stroke. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke. Last accessed September 2021.
In this type of injection, a short needle is used to inject a drug under the skin into the tissue layer between the skin and the muscle. Medication given this way is usually absorbed more slowly than if injected into a vein, sometimes over a period of 24 hours.43
43. Healthline. What is a subcutaneous injection? Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/subcutaneous-injection. Last accessed September 2021.
Anything noticed or experienced by a patient that may indicate a potential illness or medical condition.44
44. Nature. Signs and symptoms. Available at: https://www.nature.com/subjects/signs-and-symptoms. Last accessed September 2021.
A blood clot that forms in a blood vessel and remains there.45
45. Medline Plus. Thrombus. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/18120.htm. Last accessed September 2021.
Drugs which are sometimes given through the vein to dissolve clots quickly. They can cause sudden and severe bleeding, so are usually reserved for serious situations. The terms ‘clot busters’, ‘dissolvers’ or ‘thrombolytics’ are often used to describe these medications.13-15
13. What is stroke? Available at: https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/diagnosis-to-discharge/treatment. Last accessed September 2021.
14. Pulmonary embolism. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354653. Last accessed September 2021.
15.Drugs.com. Thrombolytics. Available at: https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/thrombolytics.html. Last accessed September 2021.