Dumbing down just won’t work

THE Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has had a brainwave! Patients would be more engaged in their treatment if they were written to in language that avoided medical terminology — rather than copied in on a letter to their GP — after a specialist consultation.

I tried it a few years ago but it wasn’t a success. It doubled my workload because I still had to record everything formally in the medical notes rather than rely on a letter to cover everything adequately. Nor did my patients like it. Quite rightly, they seemed to prefer medical professionals communicating with each other about their health, rather than via them in a dumbed-down letter that risked missing key details.

Medical terminology and jargon is a language that’s evolved to communicate precise, complex things in as clear and unambiguous way as possible to others who speak that language.

Most patients realise receiving a copy of such a letter is a courtesy, but it isn’t intended to explain things to them. That should be done face to face by the doctor during the appointment, and the patient encouraged to ask questions or seek clarification.

To me, this interaction is the bedrock of good doctor-patient relationships. Firing off patronising missives to our patients is no substitute.