A brief Glossary of British Medical Terms

This has been created to help those who read the excellent book, Direct Red, by Gabriel Weston. The acronyms and terms used in this book may not be familiar to some Canadian readers, who are unfamiliar with British expressions.

A&E Accident & Emergency = ER or Emergency Room

CCTV Closed-circuit television - while this acronym is international, it is seldom heard in Canada

consultant/attending physician = staff physician or surgeon

ITU Intensive Treatment Unit = ICU Intensive Care Unit

NHS National Health Service

Registrar = resident in Canada

Resus Resuscitation or Restore Effective Survival in Shock

SHO Senior House Officer = a resident doctor in his final years of training in a speciality

Blue Peter refers to a long-running British children’s show