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Definition 2024

heartsink_patient

heartsink patient

English

Noun

heartsink patient ‎(plural heartsink patients)

  1. (informal, derogatory) A recurring patient who cannot be definitively cured, such as one whose condition is undiagnosable or untreatable or who presents nebulous symptoms.

Etymology

From the idea that the patient's approach makes the doctor's heart sink in dread.

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