“A patient thought I was calling her gross,” Yancy Guzman said during her TikTok video that has almost 810,000 views on the platform.
The 30-year-old labor and delivery nurse turned to the internet to explain the lesson she learned when a woman’s waters broke. “I was mortified [and] embarrassed,” she said during the clip while holding her head.
Guzman told Newsweek what happened. She said: “I said she was ‘grossly ruptured,’ which medically means she had a large amount of amniotic fluid leaking.
“What stood out to me was how a simple misunderstanding could have affected her birth experience, but a quick apology and explanation completely changed the energy in the room.”
During the clip, Guzman, from North Carolina, says it was a “quick reminder” that medics must be “so careful about medical terminology” used in front of patients.
Guzman added that “normal words” to those in the medical field can come across as “rude” and plain mean. Explaining what happened, she said that the patient went into triage with suspected ruptured waters. It was obvious to Guzman that the patient had ruptured, as the woman was sitting in a puddle and was wet.
The Mayo Clinic says, when a woman’s water breaks before labor begins, it is called prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM)—previously known as premature rupture of membranes.
The patient made a face when she heard Guzman say to the midwife that she had “grossly ruptured,” then the patient apologized, thinking it was gross.
Guzman said she quickly apologized and explained what she meant; that “gross” referred to a large amount.
Guzman told Newsweek: “As medical providers, it’s important to remember that patients may not understand our terminology the way we do.
“We should meet them where they are and show sensitivity and empathy in how we communicate,” Guzman added.
“No matter a patient’s age, background, or language, it’s our responsibility to make sure they feel safe, understood, and confident in their care.
“Every effort should be made to help them trust their medical team.”
TikTok Reacts
So far, the September 15 clip shared to @yayayancy has over 120,000 likes, and many commenters have shared their experiences.
One user said: “had a patient see ‘SOB’ in his chart who thought I was calling him a son of a b****.”
“When I had a c-section they wrote ‘nuts’ on a bracelet in big letters and put it on me. When I looked at pictures I laughed [because] I thought they were calling me crazy but it’s because I’m allergic to nuts,” posted another.
A third commented: “Explain it like gross income, it’s the large amount before taxes.”
