HLN #6: Of Jargon, Plain Language and Health Equity
Jargon creates a dis-ease in health communication and a barrier to health equity.
Months ago, I had a conversation with a seven-year-old girl, about my running routine. I told her I was close to hitting my 2021 goal of 600kilometres of morning runs and was looking to stretch that goal. As with all brilliant children, inquisitiveness and intellectual curiosity drive them to question everything. She wanted to know why and how I run, if it’s safe to run at 6:00 am, and if my speed is the same when I run with heavier shoes. One thing led to another and we got here: 👇
Kosi: Obesity? What’s that? What’s obesity?
Me: It is an illness that often happens when we eat more than we move our bodies.
Kosi: So if we eat every day, should we move every day?
Me: Yes, we should.
Kosi: No wonder! It's why you're always running: away from obesity.
You see, language, like you and I know, is tribal in nature. It is the identity of a people joined together by the same religion, culture, ethnicity, social or political associations. In the field of medicine, as with other professions, we also speak a common language, we write in medical or scientific terms. To those who are mostly outside of this field —the patients and the public— this is seen as a complex language, called jargon, or medical jargon.
“Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession” —Kingman Brewster, Jr.
When writing or creating provider-to-provider communication materials, medical terms are relevant. It saves time, allows for uniformity of views, and makes subject matter experts arrive quickly at medical decisions.
However, complex terminologies create more problems when used during patient-provider interactions, or when creating information, education, and communication (IEC) materials for health literacy purposes.
Choosing to use jargon is an act of exclusion. We exclude people who do not understand the information shared, for no fault of theirs when we fail to communicate in plain language. Using clear communication advances health equity.
If we stick with Obesity, we will most likely deny a 7-year-old the opportunity to learn and grasp what that medical condition is all out, considering that children often have a short attention span, and will require interesting ways to learn.
Similarly, not everyone knows ‘mortality’ but most people know and would be comfortable with ‘death rate’. Not everyone knows ‘pathogenicity’ but most people know ‘the disease-causing ability of an organism’. [Often, it is better to use more simple words than to use short complex ones.]
Now, think of other ways jargon excludes other people, especially those living with disabilities or disproportionately affected by the social and political determinants of health.
Do you really want Sadiq to stop smoking? Speak Hausa or Pidgin.
Mama Uche wants to embrace family planning after six kids, but your “big-big grammar” will require her to first buy a medical dictionary.
People will do better if we as healthcare workers meet them where they are, in plain language — words that are simple and easy to understand.
While jargon may help decision-making for practitioners, plain language allows for quicker and better decision-making for patients and the public. Jargon is a dis-ease of communication between health experts and the public and a barrier to health equity. To ensure that your health content is easily accessible and digestible, create, write, or speak from a layperson’s point of view.
Let’s talk more about Plain Language in the next edition of HLN! Get your writing pads and pens ready!
I want to hear from you too. Share examples of medical terminologies and how you would write them in plain language. Feel free to share in the comments of this blog post.
Tell a colleague about Health Literacy Notepad today.
Reply to this email. Let me know what you would want to read in subsequent editions. I read every reply.
Plus, if you would love me to review your health content/writing and give you feedback, you can book a time here.
Some important public health events in October.
Oct: Health Literacy Month
Oct: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Oct 20: World Osteoporosis Day
Oct 22: International Stuttering Awareness Day
Oct 24: World Polio Day
Oct 29: World Stroke Day
Download this 2021 Health and Wellness Calendar to see and plan for more important health days in the year.
Happy Health Literacy Month,
Chidindu Mmadu-Okoli
Health Literacy Notepad