9 Common English Mistakes in Healthcare, And How To Fix Them

In high-stakes, detail-driven environments like healthcare research and academic publishing, even simple writing tasks can become complex - especially when English is not your first language. For many native Spanish speakers working in global healthcare or scientific communities, writing in English presents unique challenges. While errors may not be the result of carelessness, they can still undermine clarity, weaken arguments, or create confusion for reviewers and readers. In a field where precision matters and communication is often peer-reviewed and scrutinized, these small mistakes can carry significant weight.

I’m going to highlight 9 common English mistakes found in medical writing and professional communication and show you how to fix them. While these errors may not affect patient safety directly, correcting them will dramatically improve clarity, credibility, and overall fluency in your writing.

Mistake #1: Confusing “advise” with “advice” 

Example: The doctor gave me a good advise. 

Why it’s wrong: “Advise” is a verb (to recommend), while “advice” is a noun (a recommendation). 

Fix:  The doctor gave me good advice. (noun)  The doctor advised me to rest. (verb)

Mistake #2: Using “patient” instead of “the patient” 

Example: Patient is stable now.

Why it’s wrong: In English, singular countable nouns usually need an article like “the.”

Fix:  The patient is stable now. Patients are stable now.

Pro Tip: In clinical writing, “the patient” is almost always correct unless referring to a group.

Mistake #3: Misusing past tense in charting (e.g., “was” vs. “is”)

Example: The patient was feeling dizzy. 

Why it’s wrong: Notes should reflect the current condition unless you’re describing history.

Fix:  The patient is feeling dizzy. (current complaint) The patient was feeling dizzy. (past history)

Pro Tip: Use present tense for real-time or exam findings. 

• This Grammarly blog does a great job of explaining the various verb tenses, how/when to use them and provides some easy to understand examples. 

Mistake #4: Incorrect pluralization of medical terms 

Example: The criterias are met. 

Why it’s wrong: “Criteria” is already plural. The singular is “criterion.” 

Fix:  The criteria are met. (plural) The main criterion is effectiveness. (singular)

Pro Tip: Watch for Latin/Greek roots: “data,” “bacteria,” “nuclei” are all plural.

Mistake #5: Using “check” instead of “examine” or “evaluate” 

Example: The nurse checked the wound.

Why it’s wrong: “Check” is too informal or vague in clinical writing.

Fix:  The nurse examined the wound. The wound was assessed for signs of infection.

Pro Tip: “Evaluate,” “assess,” and “examine” are all synonyms that can be used for precision.

Mistake #6: Overusing “have” with conditions

Example: She has a pain on her chest.

Why it’s wrong: We don’t use articles like “a” with uncountable terms like “pain” when specifying location.

Fix:  She has chest pain.  She is experiencing chest pain.

Pro Tip: Drop “a” before types of pain, UNLESS you are talking about the severity of pain, such as “a sharp pain” or “a throbbing pain.”

Mistake #7: Incorrect prepositions (e.g. “on medication” vs. “taking medication”)

Example: He is on taking insulin.

Why it’s wrong: “On” and “taking” cannot be used together in this circumstance. Fix:  He is on insulin. (describes regimen) He is taking insulin. (describes action) 

Pro Tip: Use “on (medication)” to describe long-term treatment, and “taking” for day-to-day actions.

Mistake #8: Mixing up countable and uncountable terms 

Example: She has many informations. Why it’s wrong: “Information” is uncountable, so we don’t use “many.” Fix:  She has a lot of information.  He gave me useful information about the procedure. 

Pro Tip: Use “much,” “a lot of,” or “some” with uncountables; “many” with countables (e.g., symptoms, questions). 

Mistake #9: Incomplete conditional phrases

Example: If patient refuses, document it. 

Why it’s wrong: Missing article “the” and feels abrupt. 

Fix:  If the patient refuses, document it appropriately. Should the patient refuse, document it in the chart.

Pro Tip: Always include articles and keep if-clauses complete in documentation.

So… now what? 

Everyone makes mistakes - even professionals. The goal isn’t perfection, but rather progress, and working on some of these simple fixes will give you a leg up both in the clinic and on your written work. 

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