Words / B2

OWTP-ayshunt/ˈaʊtpeɪʃnt/

An outpatient is a person who gets hospital treatment without staying overnight: an outpatient clinic; outpatient waiting times. Inpatient stays in; GP is community care. Outpatient waiting times featured in the health chart. Mix-up: outlier is a data point; patient (already in the dictionary). Do not call a boarding pupil an outpatient.

Meaning

A person who gets hospital treatment without staying overnight.

Examples

• “Outpatient waiting times featured in the health-inequality chart.”
• “The clinic is outpatient only after 5 p.m., which is the no-bed sense.”

Good to know

an outpatient; an outpatient clinic / appointment. Opposite: inpatient. Trap: outlier. Health and citizenship. Treated and sent home the same day.

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