Medical state

Medical states or medical conditions are used to describe a patient's condition (that is, their clinical status) in a hospital. These terms are most commonly used by the news media and are rarely used by physicians, who in their daily business prefer to deal with medical problems in greater detail.

Either or both of two aspects of the patient's state may be reported. First, the patient's current state may be reported, e.g., as being good or serious. Second, the patient's short-term prognosis may be reported, e.g., that the patient is improving, is getting worse, or that no immediate change is expected (stable).

A wide range of terms are often used to describe a patient's condition in the United States. The American Hospital Association advises physicians to use the following one-word conditions in describing a patient's condition to those inquiring, including the media.

Other terms used include grave, extremely critical, critical but stable, serious but stable, guarded,satisfactory, and others.

A frequently cited condition is stable. Typically, stable is not a condition on its own; it is usually a qualifier applied to an aforementioned condition. It is commonly used to denote conditions where a patient has a favorable prognosis or stable vital signs. The American Hospital Association has advised doctors not to use the word "stable" either as a condition or in conjunction with another condition, especially one that is critical, because a critical condition inherently implies unpredictability and the instability of vital signs. Despite this, "critical but stable" conditions are frequently reported, likely because the word "critical" in mainstream usage is often used to denote a condition that is severe and immediately life-threatening.

The use of such condition terminology in the U.S. media has increased since the passing of the HIPAA in 1996. Concern for patient privacy and desire to avoid litigation associated with its breach have prompted doctors and hospitals to use these terms as an alternative to disclosing specific medical conditions.

Definitions vary among hospitals, and it is even possible for a patient to be upgraded or downgraded simply by being moved from one place to another, with no change in actual physical state. Furthermore, medical science is a highly complex discipline dealing with complicated and often overlapping threats to life and well-being. In the case of possibly life-threatening illness, a patient may be treated by a dozen or more specialists, each with their area of medical expertise. It is to be expected that there will be a range of opinion concerning that patient's immediate condition.

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