Say What? Quantifying and Classifying Jargon Use During Inpatient Rounds

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although plain language is recognized as essential for effective communication, research reveals that medical providers regularly use jargon terminology that may be misunderstood by patients. Little is known, however, about the types and frequency of jargon used in the pediatric inpatient setting. We aimed to quantify jargon use by medical team members during inpatient family-centered rounds (FCRs) and to identify the most common categories of jargon used. METHODS: One of 3 trained medical students audited FCRs on a general pediatric service once weekly for 12 weeks, recording and categorizing jargon used with a published classification framework. Jargon usage was classified by category and quantified by using descriptive statistics. Rates were calculated by patient encounter and per minute. Feedback was provided to rounding teams after each observation. RESULTS: During 70 observed FCR patient encounters, there were a total of 443 jargon words or phrases spoken, of which 309 (70%) were not explicitly defined to the patient or family by the health care provider team. The mean number of undefined jargon words or phrases used per patient was 4.3 (±1.7), with a mean of 0.4 (±0.1) uses of undefined jargon per minute. The most common categories of undefined jargon used include technical terminology (eg, bronchiolitis), medical vernacular (eg, cultures), and abbreviations and acronyms (eg, NPO for “nothing by mouth”) at 34%, 30%, and 17%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Undefined medical jargon was used frequently by health care providers during pediatric FCRs. We found it was feasible to measure provider jargon use and to use a jargon classification scheme to provide real-time, concrete feedback.

Accuracy in Patient Understanding of Common Medical Phrases

“…In this cross-sectional study, we found that terms and phrases commonly used in clinical settings remain frequently misunderstood. Many studies of jargon comprehension take place in a medical setting, either as observational studies 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 9 or surveys of patients in clinics. 8 , 18 , 19 We aimed to better capture a less clinically biased sample by surveying a cross section of the public at the Minnesota State Fair to determine their understanding of commonly used medical jargon.…”

“…Health care professionals regularly use jargon when communicating with patients, despite acknowledging that it should be avoided. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 Though this medical language may facilitate communication between health care professionals, its use with patients can introduce confusion that may have serious consequences. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 The mismatch between our intent to avoid jargon and the reality of our frequent use of it has been called jargon oblivion.…”

“…Previous studies have shown that while technical terminology, abbreviations, and acronyms are the most commonly used forms of jargon, several other types of jargon are also used frequently. 1 , 2 These include terms that have a well-understood meaning in common usage but often have a different meaning in medicine. For example, in most contexts, negative typically indicates something bad, such as negative feedback, negative viewpoints, or negative reviews.…”

Patient Engagement in Oncology Practice: A Qualitative Study on Patients’ and Nurses’ Perspectives

“…Tolotti et al [ 22 ] found similar results in their study regarding oral chemotherapy drug education led by nurses. The use of medical jargon is a significant issue reported in the literature; this should be considered during the communication process [ 23 ]. Chegini et al [ 24 ] highlighted the role of not-effective communication as a barrier to patient engagement.…”

What's in a name? Laypeople's understanding of medical roles and titles

“…Beyond being a source of frustration for patients, the confusion created by their clinicians' use of jargon has the potential to impede adherence to therapy and worsen clinical outcomes 2–5 . Yet despite recognition of the importance of minimizing medical jargon, it is well established that healthcare professionals frequently use terminology that is not understood by their patients 5–7 . This disconnect between clinicians' desire to avoid jargon and their continued use of it has been called “jargon oblivion,” and likely reflects the false assumption that patients share an understanding of the terminology used 8 .…”