# stat - Paging Medical People

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 9, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180 "2005-11-09T05:57:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180/1 "2005-11-09T05:57:32Z")

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After visiting my Grandfather at the hospital tonight (hip replacement, doing well, thanks), and hearing repeated pages on the intercom system, I have the following question -

What exactly is “stat” the short form for? I know it implies an urgent response required, but what is the actual word it replaces?

Doctors / nurses / EMTs / anyone?

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180/2 "2005-11-09T06:00:40Z")

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The Latin word _statim_, meaning immediately.

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**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180/3 "2005-11-09T06:02:57Z")

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[Merriam Webster’s](http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/stat) says it’s from the Latin statim. (See the entry for stat[1], in the middle of the list.)

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**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180/4 "2005-11-10T05:53:09Z")

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Thank you both.

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180/5 "2005-11-10T14:08:50Z")

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Medical facilities, hospitals in particular, use an amazing number of abbreviations and terms left over from Latin. The one I always liked, and adopted myself from when I worked in an operating suite, was writing “c” with a line over the top of it to mean “with” (from Latin _cum_) rather than w/, and “s” with a line over the top of it to mean “without” (from Latin _sine_ {two syllables}), instead of w/o. It always confuses those who are reading my writing.

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**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stat-paging-medical-people/330180/6 "2005-11-10T14:14:48Z")

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I kinda like the term **adipose tissue**. I means fat but sounds a little better.