Medical Jargon

Prompt: Watch a few videos on consultations between patients and healthcare providers on YouTube. Note each medical term used and how (if at all) the doctor explains it to the patient. Which explanatory strategies—e.g., reformulation, exemplification, metaphors—made the medical terms appear most accessible to you? 

Task overview

To get you started:

1. Choose 2–3 professional‑patient interaction videos

Pick a patient-provider interaction that shows a clear conversation between the doctor and the patient. Here are safe, educational, student‑suitable options:

Video suggestions

These videos demonstrate communication styles, explanations, and doctor–patient interaction.

1. A Patient-Centered Approach
2. Nurse Patient conversation

You may choose others, but make sure they show a clear dialogue between the professional and the patient.

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2. Watch each video and take notes

Create a simple table or list while you watch the videos.
For each medical term, write down:

• What is the term (e.g., “hypertension”, “inflammation”, “viral infection”)
• If professional explained it? (Yes/No)
• If yes, how was it explained? Some examples include:
  • Reformulation
  • Exemplification
  • Metaphor (e.g., “Think of your blood vessels like pipes…”)
  • Chunking, i.e., breaking information into smaller, more manageable units
  • Use of multimodal resources such as gesture, pictures, or other objects

• Did the patient appear to understand? (supported by your observations of the patient’s response)

You do not need to analyse medical accuracy, only focus on how language use shapes understanding.

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3. Identify which explanation style worked best

After reviewing your notes, compare the different strategies professionals used. Think about:

• Which explanations were easiest for you to understand, and why?
• Which strategies seemed most effective for the patient in the video, and how do you develop this interpretation?

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4. Write a short analysis

Your analysis should include:

• What medical jargon you noticed: List the key terms you observed in the videos.
• How professionals explained them: Describe the explanatory strategies used.
• Which strategies worked best: Explain which combination of strategies is observed to be the most effective in achieving patient understanding.
• A conclusion: Drawing on your observations and analysis, summarise what enhance communication between patients and healthcare professionals, and its implication on professional training.