Communication in Health Care – An Overview

Terminology: Overview
By: Dr. Korey Jay

Have you ever found yourself sitting on an examination table and listening to a health-care practitioner attempting to explain your injuries or ailments using what sounds like several textbooks worth of Latin words?  For many patients it is the inability to communicate with their health-care practitioners that complicates their case and outcomes.

Lack of understanding of the many complex medical terms is an issue that can lead to great frustration on the part of the average patient, and can constitute a barrier to recovery.  The purpose of this particular series of posts is to provide clarity as to some of the terms you will more than likely hear when you visit Queen Street Chiropractic Centre, or any health-related clinic for that matter.

So why does the health care community insist on employing ridiculously complex Latin words for everything?  The answer, quite simply, is that the human body and its potential injuries are extremely difficult to describe.  For instance, if I were to receive a radiographic report that states, “ Complete avulsion fracture of the anterior superior iliac spine with concurrent calcification of the quadriceps common tendon”, it is actually much easier to understand than, “There is one little piece of bone that broke off of a muscle in the leg and pelvis, from a particular doo-hickey that sticks off of the pelvis”.

While this may be an extreme example, it demonstrates how terms have been created in order to allow different health practitioners to communicate with one another effectively.  It is also why all health care practitioners write comprehensive notes after each patient visit, the idea is that if another practitioner needs to fill in for a day that he or she will be able to pick up your file and instantly know what the problem and treatment plan are.

However, the problem with this system is that the terms employed are rarely explained to the patient, which can lead to frustration as the average patient can feel “out of the loop” regarding processes and anatomical features of his or her own body.

Hopefully the posts in this series can aid in the comprehension of several more common terms that the prospective patient might hear at this or any clinic.

Posts in this series shall be broken down into certain categories such as; muscle, joint, arthritis etc.  This series will be a continuing look at the many different aspects of health-care that patients have trouble understanding, and will hopefully provide an environment of more open communication with practitioners.

Also, as you navigate the different posts on this website, you might encounter terms which you will not understand at first.  This series of posts provides a foundation for you to look back upon in order to understand some of the more complex concepts that will be discussed in the posts on this website.

Photo Credits: andyde