heartsink patient
A recurring patient who cannot be definitively cured, such as one whose condition is…A recurring patient who cannot be definitively cured, such as one whose condition is undiagnosable or untreatable or who presents nebulous symptoms.
Meaning
1 senses(derogatory, informal)A recurring patient who cannot be definitively cured, such as one whose condition is undiagnosable or untreatable or who presents nebulous symptoms.
Origin
From the idea that the patient's approach makes the doctor's heart sink in dread.From the idea that the patient's approach makes the doctor's heart sink in dread.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: heartsink patients| Singular | heartsink patient |
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regular
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.