The heart of most doctor-patient-nurse interactions is the communication of medically pertinent and often technical information. Unfortunately, a major barrier to patient understanding is the failure of providers to speak plainly. Patients need to insist that providers take the mumbo jumbo out of their speech by using best communication practices.
- When the doctor or nurse uses unfamiliar medical jargon, ask them to decode the language. For example, a nonresectable tumor is better described as inoperable.
- adjuvant chemotherapy is chemo.
- Encourage the use of analogies and hand-drawn pictures rather than professional anatomical drawings.
- Ask for easily-read brochures intended for the lay public rather than academic literature.
- Don’t be shy about asking questions if any instruction or explanation is unclear. Remember, most people need to hear a message three times before it sinks in. Remember what you learned in speech class: use an introduction, body and conclusion—tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you’ve told them.
- Take notes during the encounter for later reference and, if possible, bring a friend as a subsequent sounding board.
- At the end of your encounter, ask to restate in your own words what you have learned and been told to do. This process is called “teach back.” All healthcare providers should make this practice routine without the need of encouragement from the patient.
Michael J. Grace, JD, CPHRM is a Rancho Mirage resident, writer, artist, and licensed California attorney. This is the first of the continuing series about Miscommunication in Healthcare. He can be reached at 619-252-3656 or [email protected]
Stay tuned for more of Mike Grace’s series in future editions of the Rancho Mirage Insider!
Common Medical Jargon Terms Decoded
CBC – Complete Blood Count.
BMP – Basic Metabolic Panel. This test includes levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, glucose (sugar), and measurements of kidney function.
Nonresectable Tumor – A nonresectable tumor is a tumor described as inoperable.
Idiopathic – Defined in the dictionary as “arising from an obscure or unknown cause,” this is the term we doctors use when we can’t explain what’s causing a patient’s symptom or condition, despite thorough examination and the usual tests.
LDL – low-density lipoprotein, better known as “bad cholesterol.” The less you have in your blood, the lower your risk for heart attack or stroke. A normal level is 130 or less; people with heart disease or diabetes should have levels well below 100.
LFTs: Liver Function Tests. Higher-than-normal levels may indicate ongoing liver damage from an infection or medicine. Doctors usually check LFTs when starting or tweaking the dose of medicines that lower cholesterol.
Negative – Doctors use this word to mean “normal.” Conversely, we call abnormal test results “positive,” which actually may be bad news.
BMI – body mass index.
Metabolic syndrome – defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as a cluster of related risk factors that increase a person’s risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
NSAID – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. These medicines (think over-the-counter ibuprofen, such as Advil or Motrin) treat occasional aches and pains as well as chronic arthritis.
Idiopathic – Defined in the dictionary as “arising from an obscure or unknown cause,” this is the term we doctors use when we can’t explain what’s causing a patient’s symptom or condition.
