Do Your Patients Speak “Doctor”?
… then perhaps we shouldn’t either.
Healthcare and Social Media
The Art of Communication
Healthcare Literacy
Do your patients speak “Doctor”? If not, perhaps you shouldn’t either.
Healthcare literacy is a tremendous issue physicians face when communicating with their patients. We certainly do not do our part to address nor diminish this problem when we speak in terms that only we can understand.
Patient Goals and Expectations
I recently accompanied a family member to a physician’s office. I was privy to this conversation and have approval to share it with you. When the patient in question asked the physician what the plan was, the physician stated that” due to the presence of spinal stenosis and concomitant lateral recess stenosis we plan on decompressing the disk-ridge complex as well as the posterior elements which should ease your pain”".
Really?
We can do a lot better, we have to.
veterinarians do the same thing. I work in a complementary care facility and every time a new client brings their dog for hydrotherapy, the first conversation invariably is explaining in layman, everyday terminology what their vet has said about their dog’s condition. The use of medical/textbook terminology while NOT explaining in plain language is what sends people to the internet in search of information. I’ve often thought MDs & DVMs overuse of medi-speak is a subtle form of maintaining the barrier of “I am, You’re not” between practitioner & patient. If a practitioner only talks in medi-speak they are, in my opinion, disrespectful of their patient, and thwarting the patient’s right to participate in their own health care.
Thanks for the comments Emma.
I have a funny suspicion, Dr. Luks. Did the doctor in question know who you are? Perhaps s/he wanted to impress you.
Agree with your point of course, that it would be unproductive to use surgeon-speak to patients who aren’t surgeons.
Nope… I did not tell them I was an Orthopedist.
Yes, there are physicians who speak doctor speak. However, in my 20 plus years working as an RN and now APRN, I have also seen many docs that effectively communicate with patients using vocabulary and language that is understandable and clear. Just like with anything else, practice makes perfect. And yes there are great cme’s and websites that teach clear communication.
Stephanie, you are absolutely correct. There are many many excellent physicians who take the time to discuss issues with patients in a language that they are capable of understanding. That said, as I witnessed, there are many still who do not.
Thanks for your comment.
HJL
Healthcare – Social Media – Orthopedic Surgery
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