In medical slang, a patient who seems difficult or who doctors think is unlikely to get better; considered offensive by many.
Origin disputed—possibly from 'Go Out on Medical Examination and Return' (GOMER) as a backronym, or from Yiddish 'gombir.' First appeared in medical literature in the 1980s.
Medical slang terms like 'gomer' reveal how doctors sometimes use language to distance themselves emotionally from patients—it's a coping mechanism but also shows why some hospitals now actively discourage these dehumanizing terms!
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