The Secret Language of the Health Professions
Right about now you will likely be feeling a bit overwhelmed. If you are completely overwhelmed, you need to be communicating with your instructor so we can give you extra assistance to be certain you do not fall behind. Being a bit overwhelmed is normal. As you read through the text there are terms and content that seem much like a foreign language to you.Let’s give it a go – watch this video: Easy German – Basic Conversation Phrases 1 (03:22)Clearly, learning German would take some time and practice. So does learning the language used in the health professions. But when you do learn it, this special language of ours can be rather fun. It makes us members of an exclusive club, the general public is not invited.It also poses great safety risks. If we do not learn the language properly, the risk of errors increases as we may get something wrong or be misunderstood by another health professional. If we are not careful the patient has no idea what is going on, or what they are supposed to do. Miscommunication has caused innumerable deaths, including that of infants whose parents did not understand the pharmacy directions for pediatric dosages of medications and whose health professionals did not take the time to ensure they did.Read: Dose of Confusion”When you pick out colors, it’s supposed to be for prom dresses or Christmas pictures, not colors fo the lining of her casket.” – Christine Hutto, Brianna’s mother Same Teaspoon, Different DoseReport on medication errors due to medical terminology miscommunication.Include the following aspects in the discussion:
Share a personal experience or near miss that med term miscommunication caused or locate an article to use
Summarize the situation including the specific med term error
What could have been done to prevent the miscommunication
Discuss the actions you will take during this course so you can provide safe patient care
Cite any references. At all times proper grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. Copy and pasting are not allowed. Always use your own words.
Sample Solution
I recently experienced a difficult situation that was caused by miscommunication in medical terminology. I went to the hospital for abdominal pain and received a diagnosis of appendicitis. The doctor explained to me that my appendix needed to be removed, but he did not provide any details as to what this would involve. After asking a few questions, it became clear that I had very little understanding of the procedure or associated risks.
The following day when I returned home from the hospital, I made an appointment with my primary care physician (PCP). During the appointment, we discussed the diagnosis and treatment plan for my condition. As he began discussing the specifics of surgery, he used terms like “laparoscopy” and “general anesthesia” that were unfamiliar to me. At first, I assumed these were just additional steps in the overall process, but after further clarification from him regarding each term’s meaning and purpose it became clear how important they were in ensuring proper care during surgery.
Hadn’t thought about miscommunication until then: if there had been no discussion with my PCP about these specific terms and their implications for my care during surgery; this could have resulted in unnecessary complications due to lack of understanding on my part about what exactly was being done during surgery which could have put me at risk for serious health issues down the line. Additionally, having an understanding of all relevant medical terminology related to your procedure is critical information before making decisions regarding one’s own healthcare—misunderstanding such language can lead to poor decision-making around one’s own health needs or even worse outcomes in some cases if not properly understood prior consenting procedures or treatments are completed incorrectly or without full knowledge or comprehension of what’s involved.
Thankfully due to our open discussion clarifying all relevant terms associated with my upcoming procedure; I felt confident going into surgery knowing exactly what was going on and why each step was necessary–the result being successful removal of infected appendix without any infection spread throughout body which might otherwise have occurred due incorrect actions taken due lack proper understanding beforehand!
Sample Solution
I recently experienced a difficult situation that was caused by miscommunication in medical terminology. I went to the hospital for abdominal pain and received a diagnosis of appendicitis. The doctor explained to me that my appendix needed to be removed, but he did not provide any details as to what this would involve. After asking a few questions, it became clear that I had very little understanding of the procedure or associated risks.
The following day when I returned home from the hospital, I made an appointment with my primary care physician (PCP). During the appointment, we discussed the diagnosis and treatment plan for my condition. As he began discussing the specifics of surgery, he used terms like “laparoscopy” and “general anesthesia” that were unfamiliar to me. At first, I assumed these were just additional steps in the overall process, but after further clarification from him regarding each term’s meaning and purpose it became clear how important they were in ensuring proper care during surgery.
Hadn’t thought about miscommunication until then: if there had been no discussion with my PCP about these specific terms and their implications for my care during surgery; this could have resulted in unnecessary complications due to lack of understanding on my part about what exactly was being done during surgery which could have put me at risk for serious health issues down the line. Additionally, having an understanding of all relevant medical terminology related to your procedure is critical information before making decisions regarding one’s own healthcare—misunderstanding such language can lead to poor decision-making around one’s own health needs or even worse outcomes in some cases if not properly understood prior consenting procedures or treatments are completed incorrectly or without full knowledge or comprehension of what’s involved.
Thankfully due to our open discussion clarifying all relevant terms associated with my upcoming procedure; I felt confident going into surgery knowing exactly what was going on and why each step was necessary–the result being successful removal of infected appendix without any infection spread throughout body which might otherwise have occurred due incorrect actions taken due lack proper understanding beforehand!