Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Hospital Departments and Staff

Ward

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/wɔːrd/nounCore term

In medicine, ward means: A part of a hospital with beds where patients stay overnight or longer, usually for one specialty, such as a surgical or children's ward.

In Turkish: servis, klinik, koğuş

How it is used

Patients are admitted to, moved to or discharged from a ward. Doctors work 'on the wards', do ward rounds and talk to ward nurses. In the UK a 'bay' is a smaller room inside a ward.

Example sentences

  1. He's been moved from intensive care to the cardiology ward.

  2. There are no beds on the medical wards, so she's waiting in the emergency department.

Common collocations

  • on the ward
  • surgical ward
  • ward round
  • ward nurse
  • transfer to the ward
  • admitTo accept a patient into hospital so that they stay in a bed for treatment or observation, usually for at least one night.
  • ward roundA regular visit by a team of doctors, often led by a senior doctor, to see each patient on a ward, review progress and make a plan for the day.
  • dischargeTo officially let a patient leave hospital or a clinic's care because they no longer need it there. As a noun it can also mean fluid that comes out of the body.
  • intensive care unitA hospital unit with special equipment and highly trained staff for critically ill patients who need close monitoring or organ support, such as a ventilator.
  • outpatientA patient who visits a hospital or clinic for an appointment, test or treatment without staying overnight; also used as an adjective for this kind of care.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Hospital Departments and Staff

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.