Patients frequently misunderstand physician phrases and assign opposite meanings of what was intended, leading to confusion about health outcomes, a study published in JAMA Network Open reported.
Although clinicians acknowledge that medical jargon should be avoided when communicating with patients, they often use it, Rachael Gotlieb, MD, of the University of Minnesota Medical School, and colleagues noted.
“Though this medical language may facilitate communication between health care professionals, its use with patients can introduce confusion that may have serious consequences,”