English for Healthcare

Dr Haddad calls Mahmoud

Dr Haddad: Hello, could I speak to Mahmoud, please?

Mahmoud: Yes, this is Mahmoud.

Dr Haddad: Hi Mahmoud, this is Dr Haddad.

Mahmoud: Good morning, Dr Haddad. How can I help you?

Dr Haddad: I am with a patient at the moment. Her name is Nour and

she’s registered as a patient at your diabetes clinic.

Mahmoud: Yes, that’s right. Actually, Nour cancelled her appointment at

the clinic yesterday. We are monitoring her blood sugar level. Nour was
diagnosed with prediabetes last month.

Dr Haddad: Exactly. The problem is that Nour felt very dizzy this morning
and fainted at home.

Mahmoud: That’s terrible. Was Nour alone when she fainted?

Dr Haddad: Yes. Although she lives with her family, no one was with her
when she fainted.

Mahmoud: Who found her?

Dr Haddad: Fortunately, her daughter-in-law came back soon and called
me when she found Nour on the ground. I am with them in their home
now.

Mahmoud: Has Nour suffered any injuries?

Dr Haddad: Nothing serious, but she is very worried this might happen
again. To be honest, we are all concerned this could happen again. I have
checked her blood sugar level and the reading is over 202mg/dl, which is
11.2mmol/l.

Mahmoud: That is very high. Let me check our medical records. Oh, that’s
strange. Nour’s blood sugar level was 105mg/dl last week.

Dr Haddad: Is that Nour’s usual blood sugar level?

Mahmoud: Ah, let me see. From our medical records, I can see that
Nour’s blood sugar level is usually between 100 and 110mg/dl, which is
normal. However, we always ask Nour to fast before she visits the clinic.

Dr Haddad: Nour had breakfast this morning. Do you know what her
blood sugar level is when she doesn’t fast?

Mahmoud: I don’t know. We always ask Nour to fast and not have
breakfast before we check her blood sugar level at the clinic. However, it
should never be over 200mg/dl.

Dr Haddad: I understand. What do you think has caused her blood sugar
level to increase?

Mahmoud: I’m not sure. Have there been any changes to Nour’s diet
recently?
Dr Haddad: No. Nour and her daughter-in-law have told me that there
have been no significant changes to her diet.

Mahmoud: OK. Has Nour been under any stress recently?

Dr Haddad: I don’t think so. When Nour’s daughter-in-law left this morning
to take her son to school, everything was fine.

Mahmoud: OK. I had better arrange a home visit to review Nour’s medical
situation. We had better do a blood test tomorrow as we may need to
prescribe some medication for her diabetes.

Dr Haddad: That’s a good idea. Could you arrange a home visit tomorrow?

Mahmoud: Of course. The phlebotomist will visit Nour tomorrow morning

at 9am to take the blood test, and I could visit Nour in the afternoon
after 3pm to discuss the results.

Dr Haddad: Perfect.

Mahmoud: Oh, one last thing. I think it would be a good idea if a family
member was present during both home visits tomorrow.

Dr Haddad: Yes, I agree. Let me check whether this is possible. Yes,

Nour’s daughter-in-law will be here tomorrow. Should I attend too?

Mahmoud: No, I can update you after I’ve visited Nour tomorrow
afternoon.

Dr Haddad: Yes, that would be very helpful. Thanks, Mahmoud.

Mahmoud: My pleasure, Dr Haddad. Goodbye.

Dr Haddad: Goodbye.