Critical condition
High risk of death without continuous intervention or life support
Serious condition
reduced risk of death within 24 hours, but requiring frequent observation
Fair condition
no major fluctuation in vital signs
Good condition
little significant injury; patient may be discharged shortly
However, a range of different terms are used, such as grave condition, extremely critical condition, critical but stable condition, serious but stable condition, satisfactory condition, and others. Typically, stable is not a condition on its own; it needs to be qualified with a true condition.
The use of such conditions in the U.S. media has increased since the passing of the HIPAA in 1996. Patient privacy has become more of a concern to doctors and hospitals, and they are less likely to release specific medical conditions, fearing litigious patients.
Definitions vary among hospitals, and it is even possible for a patient to be upgraded or downgraded simply by being moved from one place to another, with no change in actual physical state. Furthermore, medical science is a highly complex discipline dealing with complicated and often overlapping threats to life and well-being.
In the case of possibly life threatening illness, a patient may be treated by a dozen or more specialists, each with their area of medical expertise. It is to be expected that there will be a range of opinion concerning that patient's immediate condition.
