Things That Annoy Me

Today's post is short as I have many things to work on and a presentation to prepare. During ICU rounds this morning, I realized that one thing that bothers me (which I used to do but have tried to reform my ways) is the addition of "-wise" to organ systems during the quaint tradition doctors call rounds. I've heard so many people say things like "Respiratory-wise, this patient is doing fine; GI-wise, he hasn't been able to eat; neurologically-wise, he is alert and oriented." No! Those aren't real words. In fact, "neurologically, he is alert and oriented" is so much better than "neurologically-wise." Ugh! I inherited this pet peeve from an attending down at Stanford's ICU's.