Can We Please Stop Using Impact as a Verb?

People in health care really shouldn't be using impact as a verb, as in, "Patient care is impacted by staffing shortages."

Really?

I mean, health care people know what that word means, and they still use it? Wow.

Enough, already. Impact is a noun, as in, "Staffing shortages can have a significant impact on patient care." If you want to use a verb that's similar, use affect.

And while we're at it...

If you're like literally giving patient care or writing about people who literally do, you owe it to yourself to like stop using literally instead of figuratively.

Yes, yes, I know that Merriam-Webster, MacMillan, and even Cambridge dictionaries have sanctioned the use of literally as a synonym for figuratively, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still sound stupid.

Just get to the point. Rather than saying, "The patient was literally vomiting all morning," just say she was vomiting all morning.

Like, okay?

Common Confusables: Preventative & Preventive

In healthcare we’re always talking about preventing illness and accidents. The magazine Prevention focuses on steps people can take to prevent illness and accidents.

But when it comes to preventive and preventative or, heaven help us, preventatativeness, we get into trouble.

Does preventative mean the same as preventive? Or is there a difference?

Yes, and yes.

Okay, here’s the deal.

You’ll hear from some folks that preventive is an adjective, as in “preventive medicine,” and that preventative is a noun, as in, “The herb is a preventative.” Those folks may cite the use of preventative as a noun and preventive as an adjective since the 17^th century, and they would be correct.

Another group of folks insist that the terms possess identical meanings and can be used interchangeably. They as well would be correct.

Language is constantly evolving, and this is one of those evolutionary instances. When the experts can’t agree, as in this particular case, then the meanings are so close as to be essentially non-existent and the usage so mixed that no clear “winner” emerges.

So use whichever one you like. If someone calls you on it, believe me, you’ll find more than enough experts backing up your choice.

For me, I like preventive. I like how it sounds. To me it seems a bit more medical than preventative.

But that’s just me.

Common Confusables: Effect & Affect

Lots of intelligent folks sometimes get affect confused with effect in their writing, so don't fret none if you struggle with differentiating the two. I should say three, actually, because those of us in health care deal with patients and their emotional presentation, or affect. So let's see if we can straighten out the confusion.

Effect

Let's take this one on first. By and large, an effect (pronounced eh-FEKT) is a noun. It is something that results from something. "The drug had the desired effect." "The intervention caused no effect on his behavior."

This form is also used to describe one's belongings. "We stored the patient's personal effects in a bag."

Scientists use effect to describe a law of some kind such as the photovoltaic effect. There are other meanings as well but nearly all of them are used as nouns.

Sometimes effect is used a verb, but not often, at least not in health care. "The Director of Nursing is trying to effect a change in the way adverse reactions are reported." Clinically, though, effect isn't used much as a verb.

Affect

By and large, the word affect (pronounced uh-FEKT) is used as a verb. It is something that happens. "Rheumatic fever can affect the heart and cause lasting damage to the myocardium." "Those two Code Blues have affected the staff's ability to deal with other patients."

But another meaning of the word, one used as a noun, is highly pertinent to healthcare professionals: affect (pronounced AH-fekt). This noun refers a patient's mien, countenance, or emotional presentation. "The mother exhibited a flat affect as she explained how her son was burned." "Expect to see a flat or blunted affect when dealing with a patient with schizophrenia."

So, aside from describing a person's demeanor, figure using effect when you need a noun and affect when you need a verb. Hope that helps.