Emergency Room Visit
Intermediate English listening exercise · Hospital
Transcript
[Nurse] Hi, welcome to the emergency department. What happened? [Patient] I fell off my bicycle about an hour ago. I landed on my right wrist and it's really swollen and painful. [Nurse] I'm sorry to hear that. Can you move your fingers? [Patient] Yes, but it hurts a lot when I try to move my wrist. [Nurse] Okay. I'm going to take your vitals and get some basic information. On a scale of one to ten, what's your pain level? [Patient] About an eight. [Nurse] I'll get you some pain medication shortly. Let me put this splint on to immobilize your wrist until the doctor sees you. [Doctor] Hi, I'm Dr. Chen. I've looked at your wrist — there's significant swelling and tenderness. We'll need an X-ray to determine if there's a fracture. [Patient] How long will that take? [Doctor] The X-ray itself takes just a few minutes. Results should be back within thirty minutes. [Doctor] Okay, the X-ray results are in. You have a distal radius fracture — that's a break at the end of the forearm bone near the wrist. It's a clean break, not displaced. [Patient] Do I need surgery? [Doctor] No, because it's not displaced, we can treat it with a cast. I'll have the orthopedic technician put on a fiberglass cast. You'll need to wear it for six weeks. [Patient] What about the pain? [Doctor] I'm prescribing ibuprofen for pain and swelling. Keep your wrist elevated above your heart as much as possible for the first few days. Apply ice for twenty minutes every two hours. [Patient] When should I follow up? [Doctor] See an orthopedic specialist within one week for a follow-up X-ray to make sure the bone is healing properly.
Comprehension questions
- What type of fracture does the patient have?
- How long must the patient wear the cast?
- What did the patient fall off of?
- What medication will the doctor prescribe for pain?
- How long does the patient need to follow up with a specialist?