By Lauren Morris

Published: Tuesday, 08 February 2022 at 12:00 am

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BBC One’s new comedy-drama This Is Going to Hurt debuts tonight, with Ben Whishaw starring as a junior doctor working for the NHS.

Based on Adam Kay’s book of the same name, the seven-parter features a star-studded cast, from Dame Harriet Walter and Alex Jennings to newcomer Ambika Mod, and follows an Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward as they fight various medical fires.

With This Is Going to Hurt being set mostly in a hospital, there’s quite a lot of medical jargon and abbreviations that fly around throughout the series – but don’t worry, we’ve broken most of them down for you.

Here’s everything you need to know about the medical terminology that features in This Is Going to Hurt, including the hospital rankings.

This Is Going to Hurt terminology

Obs and gynae – stands for Obstetrics and gynaecology, with obs covering pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period while gynae covers the female reproductive system.

Caesarean section – Also known as a c-section, this is a surgical procedure where a baby is delivered through an incision in the mother’s abdomen.

Crash section – an urgent, unplanned caesarian section undertaken during an emergency.

Swabs – medical absorbent cloths applied to a wound or incision.

Ovarian torsion – where the ovary or fallopian tube twists on the tissue that supports them, cutting off blood supply to the ovary.

Cardiology – the branch of medicine which covers illnesses and disorders related to the heart and some parts of the circulatory system.

Cord prolapse – where an umbilical cord slips in front of the baby once the waters have broken. This can reduce the amount of blood flowing through the cord and therefore reduces the oxygen supply reaching the baby.

Early onset pre-eclampsia – pre-eclampsia is a condition causing high blood pressure and signs of damage to other organs which can lead to serious complications for both the baby and mother if not monitored and treated. It is early onset if it occurs before 34 weeks of gestation.

Degloving – a serious injury where a large piece of skin and the soft tissue underneath is ripped from the body.

DNA CPR or DNR – Stands for do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation or do not resuscitate. A decision made by the patient and/or their doctor which tells a healthcare team not to try to restart a patient’s heart or breathing if it stops.

Trace – the reading of a cardiotocography (CTG), which is a scan used to monitor a baby’s heart rate in the womb.

Junior doctor rankings

PRHO – stands for Pre-registration House Officer, which are junior doctors in their first year, now called FY1 (foundation doctor)

SHO – stands for Senior House Officer, which are junior doctors in their second and third years. Now called FY2 (foundation doctor) and speciality registrars in year three.

Registrar – a doctor in their fourth, fifth and sixth years.

Consultant – a doctor who has spent a minimum of seven to nine years in training. Under the new rank system, you need a minimum of eight years in training.

Since Kay’s time working as a junior doctor, the ranks have been renamed to F1, F2, ST1-7, however as he says in his book, “everyone still uses the old terminology”.

Why do surgeons hold their hands up before starting an operation?

In This Is Going to Hurt, you’ll notice that Adam and other surgeons will raise their hands before starting an operation.

This is to limit the risk of their gloved hands – which have just been surgically scrubbed – touching anything before beginning the operation and potentially causing an infection to the patient.

This Is Going to Hurt is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. You can buy Adam Kay’s book on Amazon. While you’re waiting visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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