Do words matter?
Does how a physician or provider gives you information make a difference in how you interpret it?
I spent four years in medical school, four years in internship/residency, and one year in fellowship to learn how to diagnose and manage musculoskeletal injuries. In the process, I had to learn essentially a completely new language describing medications, anatomy, and diseases also known as medical gobbledygook.
However, medical gobbledygook is only understood by maybe 10–15% of the world’s population! When I started practicing medicine, I would use these words (i.e., degenerative disc disease, tendinopathy, stenosis) when talking to patients. I admit “talking medical” made me feel competent, and I thought that it would impress patients. I worked hard to learn them so why not be proud to use them, right? Then I had this interaction:
Learn more here
Does how a physician or provider gives you information make a difference in how you interpret it?
I spent four years in medical school, four years in internship/residency, and one year in fellowship to learn how to diagnose and manage musculoskeletal injuries. In the process, I had to learn essentially a completely new language describing medications, anatomy, and diseases also known as medical gobbledygook.
However, medical gobbledygook is only understood by maybe 10–15% of the world’s population! When I started practicing medicine, I would use these words (i.e., degenerative disc disease, tendinopathy, stenosis) when talking to patients. I admit “talking medical” made me feel competent, and I thought that it would impress patients. I worked hard to learn them so why not be proud to use them, right? Then I had this interaction:
Learn more here
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