lack of patients

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "lack of patients" is correct in written English, but it may not convey the intended meaning if discussing healthcare or medical contexts.
You can use it when referring to a situation where there are not enough patients available for treatment or study. Example: "The clinic is facing a lack of patients, which is affecting its revenue and ability to provide services."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

A trial of a potential treatment has been halted for lack of patients.

The Economist

But Buffalo Medical Center, which obtained permission to do the operations in 1998, closed its program last year for lack of patients.

The New York Times

And though the hospital shifted to caring for the elderly in 1961, many of its buildings were locked for lack of patients.

The New York Times

The limitation of the study was the lack of patients on gabapentin and low functional improvement after ESI.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

But the results will be difficult to interpret not because of a lack of patients but because of the design.

Science Magazine

In Egypt, absence of specialized headache centers, availability of pain relievers as OTC and lack of patients' education are other major causes.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

Third, despite the fact that these data were MNAR, we applied multiple imputation that is generally used for missing at random (MAR) data to replace missing values of SIBDQ and SF-12v2 scores and the WPAI UC Activity impairment domain (values for the other WPAI UC domains were not imputed because most 'missing' data for these domains were due to the lack of patients' employment).

Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Jenny worries about her father's lack of patients, and offers to give the gifted Henry (Tomo Nakayama) a free teeth cleaning, since there are no patients around.

Huffington Post

On one hand, some cases of resolved AD might have been missed in our study due to lack of patients'/parents' recall.

Plosone

A limitation of this study is the lack of patients with detectable viremia to enable a correlation of FcRγ expression with viral load to be performed.

Plosone

Hemizygosis was not evaluable due to lack of patients' blood.

BMC Cancer

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing the operational challenges faced by healthcare facilities, use "lack of patients" to clearly indicate insufficient patient numbers affecting services and revenue.

Common error

Do not assume a "lack of patients" always indicates poor service quality; it may reflect successful preventative care or external factors like seasonal illness trends or local outbreaks that reduce the need for certain medical services.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "lack of patients" functions as a noun phrase that often acts as the subject or object of a sentence. It indicates a deficiency or absence of individuals seeking or requiring medical treatment. As noted by Ludwig, this phrase is commonly used to describe challenges faced by medical facilities.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

64%

News & Media

21%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Reference

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "lack of patients" is a grammatically sound and commonly used expression that indicates an insufficient number of individuals seeking medical care. Ludwig confirms its correctness and prevalence across diverse sources. Analysis reveals the phrase functions primarily to describe challenges in healthcare, clinical trials, or medical services, maintaining a neutral register suitable for both professional and general use. Usage is particularly frequent in science and news media contexts. When using this phrase, remember to avoid generalizations and consider underlying factors beyond service quality that may contribute to patient shortages. Alternative phrases like "patient shortage" and "insufficient patient volume" can offer nuanced substitutes depending on the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

patient shortage

Emphasizes the insufficient number of patients available.

inadequate number of patients

Directly states the insufficiency in patient count.

insufficient patient volume

Focuses on the inadequacy of the number of patients.

low patient turnout

Highlights the reduced number of patients attending appointments or seeking care.

shortfall of patients

Implies that there is a missing quantity of patients.

scarcity of patients

Uses 'scarcity' to emphasize the rarity of patients.

patient deficit

Indicates a deficiency in the required number of patients.

reduced patient flow

Focuses on the diminished rate at which patients are being seen.

limited patient base

Describes a small or restricted pool of patients.

decline in patient numbers

Highlights a downward trend in the count of patients.

FAQs

How can I use "lack of patients" in a sentence?

You can use "lack of patients" to describe a situation where a medical facility or practice does not have enough patients. For example: "The hospital closed due to a "lack of patients"".

What can I say instead of "lack of patients"?

You can use alternatives like "patient shortage", "insufficient patient volume", or "low patient turnout" depending on the context.

Is it grammatically correct to say "lack of patients"?

Yes, the phrase "lack of patients" is grammatically correct and commonly used to describe a situation where there are not enough patients. However, ensure that it accurately conveys your intended meaning, as there might be more precise alternatives depending on the context.

What are the reasons for a "lack of patients" in a medical facility?

A "lack of patients" can be due to various factors, including successful preventative care initiatives, external factors like seasonal illness trends, or the presence of competing medical facilities in the area.