Patient’s or Patients’ or Patients?
The word patient’s is the singular possessive form of the word patient. For example, “The patient’s chart was updated by the nurse.” In contrast, patients’ is the plural possessive form, as in “The patients’ records were reviewed by the doctor.” The base form, patients, denotes the regular plural.
Here is a chart illustrating the different forms of the word patient:
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Patient |
| Plural | Patients |
| Singular possessive | Patient’s |
| Plural possessive | Patients’ |
To form the singular possessive, an apostrophe and an “s” are added. For the plural possessive, an apostrophe is added to the end of the plural word patients.
Consider the following examples demonstrating the different forms in context:
- Singular: Each patient must complete the intake form.
- Plural: The clinic can accommodate up to fifty patients.
- Singular possessive: The patient’s recovery was remarkable.
- Plural possessive: The hospital focused on improving the patients’ overall experience.
Using the wrong format of the word patient can affect the credibility and consequently the quality of your document. Therefore , to learn even more about how to use these different possessive forms, continue reading the rest of this article.
Patient’s
The term patient’s is the singular possessive form of patient. It is used to indicate ownership or possession by a single patient.
Possessions attributed to a patient can include both tangible and intangible items, as shown in the following examples:
- The patient’s medication was left on the counter.
- The doctor was impressed with the patient’s progress.
In both instances, the reference is to a single patient possessing something.
Patients’
The term patients’ is the standard plural possessive form of patient. Use it when indicating that more than one patient owns or possesses something.
The formation of the plural possessive involves adding an apostrophe to the end of the plural word patients.
Examples of its use include:
- The patients’ families were invited to the support group meeting.
- The hospital expanded the patients’ lounge to provide more comfort.
Patients
The term patients is the standard plural form of the word patient. It should be used to indicate a plural quantity of patients in sentences that are not possessive.
With the word patients, you can refer to a specific number of patients, as demonstrated in these examples:
- All the patients were satisfied with the new clinic hours.
- There are over one hundred patients in the rehabilitation program.
Alternatively, it can be used to refer to all patients collectively:
- Patients often express gratitude for the care they receive at the hospital.”
