GOMER
A GOMER (also commonly Goomer or Gomere) is a medical slang term for a patient in a hospital who is demented (and not fully conscious) or bordering on death, hence taking up room unnecessarily in the hospital.[citation needed] Doctors and nurses may feel that, past a certain level of degeneracy, providing life-prolonging treatments is no longer sensible, and that they should simply be allowed to die in peace.
[edit] Origins and etymology
"Gomer" (also spelled GOOMER) stands for Get Out Of My Emergency Room, reflecting the annoyance of the doctors. It first appeared in widespread print in the medical novel The House of God by Samuel Shem, and was used mostly in the 1980s and 1990s. It is still used today, although many medical professionals find it disrespectful and unprofessional.[citation needed] The term has been used several times on the television shows Scrubs and ER.
[edit] External links
- Gomer on WorldWideWords
- "The House of God" book information
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