Clinician Tip o' the Month - February

As clinicians, we often use medical jargon—acronyms, abbreviations, medication names, diagnostic tests, and specialties. We also rely on common result descriptions like “negative” or “unremarkable,” which appear in many reports. While this language is efficient among colleagues, it can be incredibly confusing for our patients.

Despite knowing this, I sometimes lapse into using jargon with my patients. I also observe this tendency among other clinicians when I'm coaching. And if you pay close attention, you'll see the puzzled—or even intimidated—looks on patients’ faces!

Each medical specialty has its own set of terms and acronyms. For instance, cardiology uses MI, LVH, EF, and AFib, while neurology employs CVA, ICA, hypodensities, and flow voids. In Occupational Medicine, we discuss topics like MMI status, PPD, impairment ratings, and even the WA State seven-year rule for reopening claims. Inevitably, when I ask patients if they understand these terms or if they understand their MRI or EMG/NCV reports—which are now so rapidly available in MyChart—they express significant confusion.

We aim to have successful, meaningful communication with our patients—a conversation that not only enhances care but also fosters a trusting clinician-patient relationship. It’s essential to be mindful of how easily we can slip into medical jargon and to make a conscious effort to avoid it. Checking in with our patients regularly to ensure they understand the terms, studies, and results we discuss is a small but crucial step.

Taking the time to clarify and confirm understanding is important, respectful, and ultimately more efficient than leaving patients in the dark. These small adjustments elevate the quality of our interactions and enhance the overall patient experience. Moreover, I believe this approach leads to greater clinician satisfaction!

Try a self-evaluation during your next few patient visits and see what you think! Here is a link to the article I originally received:  Eradicating Jargon Oblivion: Enhancing Patient Experience through Clear Communication - The Beryl Institute.