“The complex instructions and jargon that doctors use make patients more likely to skip necessary medical tests or not take their medication as prescribed. This confusion leads to poorer health outcomes and increased health care costs currently estimated at $238 billion a year.” (Williams).
Medical Terminology vs. Plain English
“A recent study published in the British Dental Journal stated that more than 30% of English speaking patients were unable to define simple medical terminology such as “lesion” and “benign.” Most medical providers believe they are being helpful when communicating their medical jargon to their patients, when in reality it is not helpful at all.
Exaggerated examples:
“Medical Terminology: Abduction was done. Perfed appy evident, secondary hemiparesis noted. Complaints of chest pain, PQRST stat.”
“Patient’s Perception: Abduction!? AHH! I’ve been kidnapped by high-tech aliens!”
“Plain English: The patient needed to have a limb moved away from the midsection of their body. They have a burst appendix that’s infected, partial paralysis is present. An evaluation of the chest pain will be done immediately.”
Explaining Medical Jargon to Your Patient
- Practice, practice, practice. “We often encourage medical students to practice explaining a medical procedure, such a colonoscopy, to a family member to see if they understand,” says Dr. Moore.
- Have patients repeat instructions back to you. If they do not understand your instructions, repeat them using slightly less technical terminology.
- Use analogies that are more easily understood and identified by the patient. “When explaining otitis media to a 9-year-old boy, you may liken the infected serous fluid in his ear to stagnant water in his aquarium when it hasn’t been cleaned,” says Dr. Serrecchia.
- Draw a picture if patients need to visualize what you are explaining.
References
“Are We Speaking the Same Language? the Problem with Medical Jargon.” Community Catalyst, https://www.communitycatalyst.org/blog/are-we-speaking-the-same-language-the-problem-with-medical-jargon#.Yaj-dWLMLcs.
Vicki Martinka Petersen Email, et al. “4 Ways Physicians Can Explain Medical Jargon to Patients.” The DO, 8 Nov. 2015, https://thedo.osteopathic.org/2015/11/say-what-4-ways-to-explain-medical-jargon-to-your-patients/.
“When Medical Terminology Is Appropriate to Use.” Ayers Career College, 4 Feb. 2021, https://ayers.edu/blog/medical-terminology-appropriate-use-with-patients/.