Any doctors here? Secret code? Flattery?

[AyDeeAitchDee]

Hi all.

So I've had various medical appointments lately.

And get copied in to the letters from various doctors back to my GP.

And they all LOVE me the letters all start like:

"I saw this delightful woman today"

"I had the pleasure of meeting with this lovely lady today"

Etc etc.

Now I'm polite and all. But don't warrant this sort of flattery.

So I'm guessing it's some sort of code?

Would love to be filled in please. Or just hear theories.

The doctor did the same for my referral ‘Lovely lady’, made me die!

My favourite medical records acronym c1994 was DAAB.

Daft as a brush.

Made me laugh. Totally inappropriate, and rightly so, now.

Difficult historian is code for 'i can't make head nor tail of her story' I think (former medical secretary).
I did type up a letter that described 'this right handed electrician' which made me chuckle. Weirdly I quite miss listening to the rambling dictations of my old boss, he was very old-school!

All letters start like that. The secret code is if they don't.......
They also will usually drop in if the patient is medical / nursing or legal background. Just to tip off who the letter is for.

I work for a service which receives GP referrals. I love the way they hint at things. Pleasant, delightful, charming etc are all used to say "this one's a good egg who you'll find no trouble at all". When a consultant had to do one for DD, he described her as "a wonderfully clever and engaging young woman". I think it's so lovely and old fashioned.

One of the GPs always includes an absolutely extraneous detail about pets or hobbies or similar. It really makes me laugh and the patients adore him.

We had a "this man who is of average height" once. I never worked that one out. His height wasn't relevant at all.

The handedness thing could be very significant depending on context though, as could the profession. If you are a right handed electrician and you have a problem that's likely to affect your right hand, then that's presumably a big threat to your livelihood and therefore quite a big deal. I had an injury that caused loss of sensation in my right hand some years ago and every single doctor I saw asked me whether I was right or left handed and what I did for a living as they were trying to gauge how much of a problem it was for me. It was in the days before it was routine for patients to get copy letters but I expect that info was in the letters to my GP and I wouldn't have thought there was anything odd about it.

My new neighbour, 80s, moved to a practice nearer to our homes. Her previous dr. wrote to her new GP "this neurotic 85 yr. old...."

Spot on!

I’m a doctor . It means you are lovely. We don’t routinely write this kind of thing any more .

Well be grateful they don't still put FLK, NFN, PNVB along with many others in the medical notes. I used to work somewhere that these were common. It did change to only verbal use, during my time there. But we all knew what they ( really) meant and openly used.
Codes to communicate between professional s about difficult patients and problems and suspicions will always exist. Ultimately you need to know what and who you are dealing with.

It's just a polite way to start a letter. A sort of meaningless opener similar to signing off a letter with best wishes.

I used to read medical records a lot as part of child protection work. I was always interested to read the descriptions of children as 'lively' (out of control), 'chatty' (loud), I once read one that said 'I saw x with their largely disinterested parent'. I was very relieved when DD had some treatment and was described as 'polite and well-kempt'. I'll take that as a positive reflection upon me!

@Seventytwoseventythree

I’m a doctor and I start with “I was pleased to see Mrs X in clinic...” I think it’s a nice semi personal touch in an NHS which often doesn’t feel like it. I often also include a personal detail so they know I was listening “her knee pain is better and she enjoys waking her dashund daily”

I know some might think it’s silly and unnecessary but I like it and nobody has ever complained, so I’ll keep doing it. It’s important my patients know I really was listening!

The only ones I don’t do it for are they properly abusive ones who get a very factual letter from me.

As per PPs above though it does vary by doctor and many don’t do it, so don’t worry if a future letter is less effusive.

I think that's lovely

I've got RA and have had letters describing me as 'hardy', 'tenacious' and 'mettlesome'. I presume that just means I get on with things and don't moan much?

I smashed up my ankle goodstyle and was asked by the orthopaedic team if I would take part in a trial testing a new way of pinning it together , I agreed and this resulted in me attending clinic more often than usual to check progress. I noticed on my letters that I was referred to as ' pleasant ( unlikely to kick off) and helpful ( presumably cos I let them faff around with experimental stuff.) my final letter also referred to me as intelligent(!) and I'm assuming as by that time I knew as much as they did about the various bits of scaffolding attached to my leg.

@Gremlinpoop

Well be grateful they don't still put FLK, NFN, PNVB along with many others in the medical notes. I used to work somewhere that these were common. It did change to only verbal use, during my time there. But we all knew what they ( really) meant and openly used. Codes to communicate between professional s about difficult patients and problems and suspicions will always exist. Ultimately you need to know what and who you are dealing with.

What do these mean? Sorry if I'm being thick

@Mydogmylife I read that FLK means 'funny looking kid' and was used to describe undiagnosed deformities in children. NFN means 'normal for Norfolk', implying patient is of lower intellect and I think PNVB simply means 'patient not very bright'.

FLK - funny looking kid i.e. might have some sort of syndrome

NFN - normal for Norfolk

Never heard PNVB though. Have never seen any of these in any form of notes thank goodness although I did have a consultant who would sketch a dog in your notes if he thought you were barking.

Oh my -rather harsh descriptors there!!!

What a shame these personal touches are being phased out in some places. Surely the little bit of light relief/pleasure/comic value/awareness of humanity/flattery that so many appreciate or are amused by makes it worth the risk that a few people might find it annoying or deem it unprofessional?

I was described as "pleasant" and "anxious" in a consultant's letter.

I once had a consultant's letter announce that I was an eighteenth-century historian.

I'm not!

DS was described as a "vigorous infant" by his neonatologist. We did call him The Vigorous Infant for some time after

They always say my DD (aged 6) is a "polite and energetic young lady" i take that to mean she might refuse to let you treat her at times but she'll say no thank you while she does it

The thing is they weren't really personal they were generic - for some consultants everyone was pleasant or delightful even if they had given the receptionists hell. There was no discrimination, it was just an opening line.
That said I get that they may have cheered people up which is no bad thing.
I do miss PAFO written on the patient board in A and E though. It told you what to expect ( pissed and fell over)

But most pleasantries and compliments are generic, in most circumstances. These kind of words - especially in a hospital letter - bring a little light into people's lives and in my view should be welcomed for the likelihood that, for most people, they will add something positive to their lives.