Jargon Use Research Articles

Local and Global Status Concerns Independently Predict Jargon Use

Local and Global Status Concerns Independently Predict Jargon Use

A Quality Improvement Project to Improve After-visit Summary Patient Instructions in a Pediatric Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular Program.

Multidisciplinary clinics aim to coordinate care between multiple specialties for children with medical complexity yet may result in information overload for caregivers. The after-visit summary (AVS) patient instruction section offers a solution by summarizing visit details and recommendations. No known studies address patient instruction optimization and integration within a multidisciplinary clinic setting. This project aimed to improve the quality of patient instructions to support better postvisit communication between caregivers and providers in a multidisciplinary pediatric neuromuscular program. A multidisciplinary stakeholder team created a key driver diagram to improve postvisit communication between caregivers and providers in the clinic. The first specific aim was to achieve an 80% completion rate of AVS patient instructions within 6 months. To do so, a standardized electronic medical record "text shortcut" was created for consistent information in each patient's instructions. Feedback on AVS from caregivers was obtained using the Family Experiences with Coordination of Care survey and open-ended interviews. This feedback informed the next specific aim: to reduce medical jargon within patient instructions by 25% over 3 months. Completion rates and jargon use were reviewed using control charts. AVS patient instruction completion rates increased from a mean of 39.4%-85.0%. Provider education reduced mean jargon usage in patient instructions, from 8.2 to 3.9 jargon terms. Provider education and caregiver feedback helped improve patient communication by enhancing AVS compliance and diminishing medical jargon. Interventions to improve AVS patient instructions may enhance patient communication strategies for complex medical visits.

Are plain language summaries more readable than scientific abstracts? Evidence from six biomedical and life sciences journals.

In recent decades, members of the general public have become increasingly reliant on findings of scientific studies for decision-making. However, scientific writing usually features a heavy use of technical language, which may pose challenges for people outside of the scientific community. To alleviate this issue, plain language summaries were introduced to provide a brief summary of scientific papers in clear and accessible language. Despite increasing attention paid to the research of plain language summaries, little is known about whether these summaries are readable for the intended audiences. Based on a large corpus sampled from six biomedical and life sciences journals, the present study examined the readability and jargon use of plain language summaries and scientific abstracts on a technical level. It was found that (1) plain language summaries were more readable than scientific abstracts, (2) the reading grade levels of plain language summaries were moderately correlated with that of scientific abstracts, (3) researchers used less jargon in plain language summaries than in scientific abstracts, and (4) the readability of and the jargon use in both plain language summaries and scientific abstracts exceeded the recommended threshold for the general public. The findings were discussed with possible explanations. Implications for academic writing and scientific communication were offered.

Overcoming Confirmation Bias in Misinformation Correction: Effects of Processing Motive and Jargon on Climate Change Policy Support

A 2 (jargon vs. no jargon) × 3 (motive: control vs. accuracy vs. impression) between-subjects experiment examined the impact of jargon and processing motive in correcting climate change misinformation and promoting policy support. The results revealed a positive effect of jargon use when participants were asked to focus on accuracy during information processing. This effect was mediated by reduced anger, increased systematic processing, and enhanced perceptions of message credibility. However, jargon had a negative effect when no specific motive was induced, and it did not make a difference in correction outcomes when participants were asked to focus on making positive social impressions. These findings provide theoretical implications for information processing and practical insights for addressing misinformation in the context of climate change.

Medical Spanish Graphic Activity: A MeGA Deliberate Practice Approach to Reducing Jargon Use With Spanish-Speaking Acute Care Patients.

Medical Spanish courses in US medical schools aim to teach patient-centered communication, yet many existing resources focus on technical vocabulary and may inadvertently increase jargon use with patients. Graphic medicine presents an opportunity for interactive learning that centers the patient experience, yet it has never been explored in medical Spanish education. We developed a Medical Spanish Graphic Activity (MeGA) for medical student deliberate practice of patient-centered verbal communication focused on three aspects: diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. Each 30-minute activity included a comics handout depicting a patient with a common problem. Students used voice-to-text technology to record their explanations in response to prompts. Transcripts were analyzed for jargon use, including total jargon, unexplained jargon, and problem words (non-Spanish words plus unexplained jargon), utilizing a previously published, reliable protocol for Spanish medical jargon classification. Participants voluntarily provided postactivity feedback. Twenty-nine fourth-year students with intermediate or greater Spanish skills participated in a series of 10 MeGA activities between January and April 2022. Unexplained jargon use and problem words progressively decreased for all transcripts (diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up; all ps < .001). Total jargon use also decreased, but this was not significant in follow-up transcripts (p = .38). All students agreed that MeGA helped them enhance communication skills applicable to patient care and self-identify strengths and limitations. MeGA is realistic to implement, engages students' active participation in the speaking domain, and reduces unexplained jargon use. Future studies should explore the broader application of this model and engage patient perspectives.

A Game-Based Tool for Reducing Jargon Use by Medical Trainees.

Physicians can be unaware that many US adults have intermediate or lower health literacy. Avoiding medical jargon in patient communication can improve poor outcomes associated with lower health literacy, but physicians may struggle to do so as health literacy education is neither standardized nor universal at US allopathic medical schools. As with other skills-based proficiencies in medical education, repeat exposure and active learning help build competency. Medical students developed the Patient Communication Challenge (PCC), an adaptation of the Hasbro game Taboo, to facilitate practice of patient-centered communication skills among medical trainees. Hour-long workshops were held for groups of preclinical medical students. Students watched a communication exemplar video, played the PCC game, and completed a postworkshop survey. To play, two teams competed to earn points by identifying medical concepts as explained by a teammate who described the term without using medical jargon. Evaluations indicated that the game was enjoyable and reinforced didactic concepts through active learning, with self-reported participant satisfaction and competency gain. Overall, 59% of participants (53 of 90) completed postworkshop surveys; 91% (48 of 53) agreed they felt more proficient in avoiding jargon, 94% (50 of 53) would recommend the workshop to a classmate, and 100% (53 of 53) would play again. The PCC can help early medical trainees develop health communication skills through gamification with utilization of adult learning principles and adequate frequency for skill retention. Future applications include longitudinal assessment and expanding to later stages of medical training and other health professions.

Language and style characteristics of Branko Ćopić's Work "The donkey years"

Subject of analysis are linguistic and stylistic characteristics of a novel „Magareće godine“ by Branko Ćopić. Published in 1960. this novel presents a story of growing up, friendship, first love, education and mischiefs of a group of children. Analysis was conducted on the level of phonostylistic, morphostylistic, lexicostylistic and semantostylistic. On the level of phonostylistic, stylistic figures of subtraction (syncope and apocope) and adjunction (paragogue) were detected. These figures were used in order to depict characters thoroughly and they indicate on local, mostly provincial and jargon use of language. On the level of morphostylistic very common and specific is use of aorist. Although this verb tense could be substituted with perfect tense, aorist is much more stylistically expressive. Ćopić uses this tense for fast change of actions; for desplaying sudden and lively occurences, as well as at the end or the beggining of direct speech. On the level of lexicostylistic very common is the use of deminutives, augmentatives, exclamations and imitative words. Having in mind, that this literary work is part of literature for children, use of expressive lexic has a function of expressing what is dear, scary, funny or strange to children, or what is small or big. Also, this level of analysis is typical by its use of many nicknames, which is again specific for works from the area of literature for children. Nickanames are created by shortening names and last names, and are also based on physical characteristics or behaviour of its carrier. They mostly have positive meaning, but those of negative meaning are also present. Among lexic and syntactic figures very common is the use of anaphora, rhetorical question, aposiopesis, ellipsis, accumulation (and its varieties), and epizeuxis. On the level of semantostylistic simile is a very common figure. It is used to make expression more lively and to make abstract terms more concrete. Its common use in this litraray work is in order to create humoristic effect. Except this figure, very common is the figure hyperbole. Using semantic figures, together with ellipsis and epizeuxis, Ćopić presents and revives the manner how children speak, and makes this literary work close to those that are intended to read it. Linguostylistic analysis of Ćopić's work „Magareće godine“ has detected that this literary work is abundant is means of expressive lexic, lexic, syntactic and semantic figures, types of aorist and phonetic and phonological figures of substraction and adjunction.

Comparing lay summaries to scientific abstracts for readability and jargon use: a case report

Comparing lay summaries to scientific abstracts for readability and jargon use: a case report

Local and Global Status Concerns Independently Predict Jargon use Among Psychologists

Local and Global Status Concerns Independently Predict Jargon use Among Psychologists

Improving Health Equity Through Health Literacy Education.

Health literacy is the ability to understand and use health information. More than one-third of adults living in the United States have limited health literacy, which is associated with adverse health outcomes. Physicians need education about how to communicate effectively across the range of health literacy levels, but residency programs often fail to provide it. We aimed to develop and evaluate a curriculum to establish evidence-based recommendations for training family medicine resident physicians to communicate effectively across the range of health literacy levels. We developed and implemented a 6-month curriculum about health literacy and best practices for communication and collected three pre-/post-measures: patient surveys, videos of residents' patient encounters, and resident self-surveys of knowledge, attitudes, and use of communication techniques. Training of 39 residents included conferences, videotape reviews, written feedback, targeted supervision, and environmental cues. All knowledge/attitude questions on the resident survey improved significantly, as did the use of 4 of 6 communication techniques. Video observation also showed significant improvement in the residents' use of three techniques and a decrease in jargon use and an increase in "plain language" explanations of terms. Multimodal interventions improved residents' knowledge and attitudes about health literacy and use of health literacy precautions. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2023;7(2):e99-e104.].

Using infographics to reduce the negative effects of jargon on intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19.

Guided by feelings-as-information theory, this experiment (N = 643), based in the United States, tested whether the use of jargon and infographics within messages designed to explain the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines affected behavioral intentions to vaccinate. The results revealed that the presence of jargon was associated with a difficult processing experience, message resistance, decreased perceptions of message credibility, and reduced intentions to get the COVID-19 vaccine. That said, when an infographic was integrated into the jargon message, these negative relationships went away and the presence of jargon no longer indirectly impacted intention to vaccinate. This experiment demonstrates that in contexts where jargon use exists, the use of an infographic can counteract some of the negative effects of a difficult processing experience.

What Did They Learn? Objective Assessment Tools Show Mixed Effects of Training on Science Communication Behaviors

There is widespread agreement about the need to assess the success of programs training scientists to communicate more effectively with non-professional audiences. However, there is little agreement about how that should be done. What do we mean when we talk about “effective communication”? What should we measure? How should we measure it? Evaluation of communication training programs often incorporates the views of students or trainers themselves, although this is widely understood to bias the assessment. We recently completed a 3-year experiment to use audiences of non-scientists to evaluate the effect of training on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) graduate students’ communication ability. Overall, audiences rated STEM grad students’ communication performance no better after training than before, as we reported in Rubega et al. 2018. However, audience ratings do not reveal whether training changed specific trainee communication behaviors (e.g., jargon use, narrative techniques) even if too little to affect trainees’ overall success. Here we measure trainee communication behavior directly, using multiple textual analysis tools and analysis of trainees’ body language during videotaped talks. We found that student use of jargon declined after training but that use of narrative techniques did not increase. Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores, used as indicators of complexity of sentences and word choice, were no different after instruction. Trainees’ movement of hands and hesitancy during talks was correlated negatively with audience ratings of credibility and clarity; smiling, on the other hand, was correlated with improvement in credibility, clarity and engagement scores given by audience members. We show that objective tools can be used to measure the success of communication training programs, that non-verbal cues are associated with audience judgments, and that an intensive communication course does change some, if not all, communication behaviors.

Use of seven types of medical jargon by male and female primary care providers at a university health center

ObjectivesThe purposes of this study were to investigate extent and type of jargon use among primary care providers at a university health center, to evaluate the association of jargon use with patient outcomes, and to identify differences in jargon use between male and female providers. MethodThe study employed a causal comparative design. Audio recordings of 87 primary care interviews were transcribed and coded using Pitt and Hendrickson's seven-category medical jargon classification framework. ResultsNearly 80% of appointments included at least one instance of unexplained jargon, with an average of more than four uses of jargon per visit. The most frequently used types of jargon were technical terminology and medical vernacular. Acronyms and abbreviations, medicalized English, and unnecessary synonyms were also regularly used. Just under half of distinct jargon terms were explained. Male providers used nearly 50% more jargon per minute than female providers, and they used more technical jargon than did their female colleagues. However, they explained that jargon just as frequently as female providers. ConclusionsWhereas previous studies have frequently limited the operational definition of jargon to two or three types, the comprehensive typology proposed by Pitt and Hendrickson provides a useful tool for identifying a wide range of jargon usage. Future research should examine the outcomes of this range of jargon types in more varied, less educated patient populations, and across different types of healthcare providers. Practice implicationsWith jargon used on average more than once every four minutes in our sample, and only half of jargon terms explained, medical jargon may be more of a problem even in primary care contexts than providers themselves realize. Male providers especially may want to make efforts to become more conscious of their jargon use and take care to explain terms, in an effort to facilitate more effective patient-provider communication and improved patient outcomes.

Say What? Quantifying and Classifying Jargon Use During Inpatient Rounds

Although plain language is recognized as essential for effective communication, research reveals that medical providers regularly use jargon terminology that may be misunderstood by patients. Little is known, however, about the types and frequency of jargon used in the pediatric inpatient setting. We aimed to quantify jargon use by medical team members during inpatient family-centered rounds (FCRs) and to identify the most common categories of jargon used. One of 3 trained medical students audited FCRs on a general pediatric service once weekly for 12 weeks, recording and categorizing jargon used with a published classification framework. Jargon usage was classified by category and quantified by using descriptive statistics. Rates were calculated by patient encounter and per minute. Feedback was provided to rounding teams after each observation. During 70 observed FCR patient encounters, there were a total of 443 jargon words or phrases spoken, of which 309 (70%) were not explicitly defined to the patient or family by the health care provider team. The mean number of undefined jargon words or phrases used per patient was 4.3 (±1.7), with a mean of 0.4 (±0.1) uses of undefined jargon per minute. The most common categories of undefined jargon used include technical terminology (eg, bronchiolitis), medical vernacular (eg, cultures), and abbreviations and acronyms (eg, NPO for "nothing by mouth") at 34%, 30%, and 17%, respectively. Undefined medical jargon was used frequently by health care providers during pediatric FCRs. We found it was feasible to measure provider jargon use and to use a jargon classification scheme to provide real-time, concrete feedback.

HRM in Brazil: an institutional approach

PurposeThe purpose of this work is to comparatively study human resources management (HRM) areas in Brazil, at the national level, analyzing how companies considered labor market and labor relations aspects when building their strategies and when configuring people management models in place in the country (2014–2019), based on local conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe subject was approached through qualitative analysis, encompassing document survey, systematic literature review, specialists' panel discussions, eight focus groups (43 human resources [HR] managers), interviews (16 union members), applying institutional approach to people management.FindingsIn regards to labor market and unions, HR areas faced different conditions across Brazilian regions. They have dealt with those influences on their strategic and quotidian decisions in an unstructured fashion. HR areas remain constructed as traditional, adjuvant and far from strategic level. In the institutionalization process – normative isomorphism – a professional HR jargon use was identified. HR areas usually act in collective bargaining, resorting to specialized professionals or consulting companies. During the economic crisis, HR professionals' attitude had a reactive nature, responding to organizations leadership, with little dedication to the emerging context.Practical implicationsThis work enables important players like HR managers, union members and specialists in public policies to interpret the institutionalization phenomena of practices related to management, labor market and labor relations in the country.Social implicationsUnderstanding the effects of the relations among state, companies and unions allows the different power vectors, acting upon the institutionalization process of people management areas in the Brazilian case, to be outlined.Originality/valueThis study applies the institutional approach to understand the economic and social heterogeneity affecting organizations in Brazil. It enhances the knowledge on HRM areas scope and their articulation toward labor market and relations.

Identifying and classifying medical jargon through analysis of recorded standardized patient encounters

IntroductionLearning effective communication, particularly jargon avoidance, is important for medical training. Standardized methods exist to identify jargon but there is room to further refine those methods to define medical jargon and expand categorization. This project aims to classify jargon words as having a plain language alternative or not, to both standardize the definition of jargon and as a foundation for teaching jargon avoidance. MethodsWe analyzed 123 transcribed encounters between standardized patients and medical students to quantify and categorize medical jargon using a stepwise process based on published literature. This process eliminated common words (based on New Dale-Chall list) without distinct medical meaning. Uncommon words and words with distinct medical meanings found in Stedman’s Medical Dictionary were considered jargon. Jargon words were cross-referenced with the Plain Language Thesaurus to identify plain language alternatives. ResultsThis process identified 310 jargon words, 102 with plain language alternative from the 123 encounters. ConclusionWe objectively classified jargon into distinct categories with a novel focus on jargon words with and without plain language alternatives. Practice implicationsThis objective classification system serves as an important step in gaining a comprehensive understanding of jargon use which is essential to improving and teaching communication skills.

Don't dumb it down: The effects of jargon in COVID-19 crisis communication.

Experts are typically advised to avoid jargon when communicating with the general public, but previous research has not established whether avoiding jargon is necessary in a crisis. Using the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, this online survey experiment (N = 393) examined the effect of jargon use across three different topics that varied in situational urgency: COVID-19 (high urgency), flood risk (low urgency), and federal emergency policy (control). Results revealed that although the use of jargon led to more difficult processing and reduced persuasion for the two less-urgent topics (flood risk, emergency policy), there was no effect of jargon in the COVID-19 condition. Theoretically, these findings suggest that the motivation to process information is an important moderator for crisis communication in particular and science communication in general. Practically, these findings suggest that science communicators, during times of crisis, do not need to "dumb down" their language in the same way they should during non-crises.

Compensatory conspicuous communication: Low status increases jargon use

Jargon is commonly used to efficiently communicate and signal group membership. We propose that jargon use also serves a status compensation function. We first define jargon and distinguish it from slang and technical language. Nine studies, including experiments and archival data analyses, test whether low status increases jargon use. Analyses of 64,000 dissertations found that titles produced by authors from lower-status schools included more jargon than titles from higher-status school authors. Experimental manipulations established that low status causally increases jargon use, even in live conversations. Statistical mediation and experimental-causal-chain analyses demonstrated that the low status → jargon effect is driven by increased concern with audience evaluations over conversational clarity. Additional archival and experimental evidence found that acronyms and legalese serve a similar status-compensation function as other forms of jargon (e.g., complex language). These findings establish a new driver of jargon use and demonstrate that communication, like consumption, can be both compensatory and conspicuous.

12. SAY WHAT: QUANTIFYING AND CLASSIFYING JARGON USAGE ON INPATIENT ROUNDS

Background Despite understanding that plain language is essential for effective communication, prior research has found that medical providers still use terminology that may be misunderstood by patients (i.e. jargon) several times per encounter. However, little is known about the types and frequency of jargon used in the pediatric inpatient setting. Methods After training for consistency, three medical students audited inpatient morning rounds on a general pediatric service, recording and categorizing all jargon used with a novel jargon classification framework published by Pitt and Hendrickson (Eradicating Jargon-Oblivion - A Proposed Classification System of Medical Jargon; JGIM 2019). After each day of rounds, students provided feedback to the medical team. The study period consisted of 12 sessions over 12 weeks. Results Over 12 weeks, there were a total of 446 jargon words spoken, 313 (70%) of which were not explicitly defined to the patient or family by the healthcare provider. The average (± standard deviation [SD]) undefined jargon words per patient (JPP) was 4.5 (±3.31), and the average (±SD) undefined jargon words per minute (JPM) was 0.37 (±0.13). The most common categories of jargon used include Technical Terminology (e.g. bronchiolitis, 36.7%), Medical Vernacular (e.g. blood culture, 30.8%), and Acronyms (e.g. NPO, 18.1%). Conclusion Undefined jargon was used frequently by healthcare providers in the inpatient pediatric setting. Additional study is indicated to further understand and identify optimal interventions to reduce jargon use at the bedside. Future interventions could consider families with pre-existing medical knowledge, expand the program to other specialties, and include patient and/or family reflections on observed encounters.

Jargon use in Public Understanding of Science papers over three decades.

Public Understanding of Science is an interdisciplinary journal serving the scholarly community and practitioners. This article reports an analysis of the readability and jargon in articles published in Public Understanding of Science throughout its almost three decades of existence to examine trends in accessibility to diverse audiences. The accessibility of Public Understanding of Science articles published in 1999/2000 (47), 2009 (49) and 2019 (65) was assessed in terms of readability and use of jargon. Readability decreased and use of jargon increased between 1999 and 2000 and the two following decades for empirical and non-empirical papers, and all parts including the abstracts. An analysis of rare words shows that most are not part of the general academic vocabulary or disciplinary jargon, but rather words that appeared only in one article. Public Understanding of Science has moved away from everyday language. This does not mean it is incomprehensible to its scholarly readership, but may have consequences to other audiences such as practitioners.