In this podcast a nurse is asking a patient about his abdominal pain after a patient walks in clutching his stomach and moaning.
Health professional: Let’s talk about why you are here. I understand you are experiencing abdominal discomfort?
Patient: Actually, for the past week I’ve been having stomach pain.
Health professional: Ok, tell me exactly where the pain is?
Patient: Well, it’s near the lower abdomen. Right here.
Health professional: Does the pain travel anywhere else?
Patient: Sometimes, the pain travels across my abdomen.
Health professional: Can you describe the pain? How strong is it?
Patient: I can't say exactly. I have terrible cramping, and I can’t eat. I mean sometimes it’s severe and sometimes it’s mild. It seems to be getting worse though.
Health professional: Okay, when does it start? When does it stop?
Patient: The pain is there all the time.
Health professional: Okay, so it’s continuous pain. And tell me, have you noticed any changes in your bowel movements?
Patient: I don’t know.
Health professional: Do you have a daily bowel movement?
Patient: Not every day. I think it has been a few days.
Health professional: Do you usually have any pain when you pass stools?
Patient: Sometimes.
Health professional: Can you describe the last bowel movement you had? Was the stool hard, formed, semi-formed, soft, loose, liquid, or watery?
Patient: It was loose and watery with mucous.
Health professional: Have you noticed any change in color? Any blood in your bowel movement or any black coloring?
Patient: No I haven’t.
Health professional: Okay, do you suffer from hemorrhoids?
Patient: No, I don’t.
Health professional: Okay, I need to examine you. Do you mind if I look at your abdomen?
Patient: No, that’s fine.
Health professional: Please take off your clothes and put on this gown. Okay, let’s get started.
Health professional: Your abdomen appears to be distended and tender. I would like to collect a stool sample. The next time you go to the bathroom, please go in this bedpan. I’ll collect your sample later on.
Patient: Okay
Health professional: The doctor will come in and speak to you shortly.
Teacher: In this conversation a nurse is asking the patient about pain. Josée, did you hear where the patient’s pain was?
Student: Yes, the patient had stomach pain.
Teacher: Right, what is another word for stomach?
Student: Um…I think they talked about the abdomen.
Teacher: How did the patient feel? Was he feeling well?
Student: No! He was in pain. I think he said continuous pain. What does that word mean?
Teacher: Continuous means he was always in pain, it never went away.
Student: Ah I see. That’s not good at all, that’s why the nurse asked questions about his stool then. She wanted to see what was wrong.
Teacher: Exactly! She wanted to see if something was wrong with his gastrointestinal system and nothing else.