Write in good old fashioned English

[househunterthethird3]

Hi you all seem to be a nice bunch of people could I ask the professors, university Lecturers /Deans, Doctors in waiting, and those who feel they are better educated than the rest of us, To write in easy to understand English that we can all understand instead of Doctor talk that sends me to sleep and high fluting words that I need to get my Large Print Dictionary out to understand , I thank you from the bottom of my lowly pheasant status ,it would be nice Thankyou

[Dickyticker26]

Sometimes they go the other way and urologists for example say "pee" instead of "urinate" just as professional musicians say "fiddle" instead of "violin"

I think it's call "inverted snobbery"

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Sometimes the aim is to be unambiguous. Usually we get copies of letters sent to our GPs from our consultants who have to lnow, for instance, exactly what artery/arteries were stented/bypass. This morning I explained the Doppler and ankle brachial index (ABI) to another member. Referring to the BHF pamphlets relevant to your condition can be beneficial.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I best not "like" your post or you will be called "teacher's pet"! Not 😎

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Because it is Easter you are let off homework this weekend!

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

No worries as they say! Have a gr8 Easter!

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

Good words! It’s so much harder to write simply and clearly. Even if we are or have been qualified I do understand this is not the place to give professional advice. Up to date professionals like NHS staff, BHF nurses etc are for that. We are here to share our experiences and thoughts, What I find fantastically useful is the time and care members take to describe what’s happened to them, and suggest what I might try next,

Couldnt have managed without it.

[Qualipop]

Oh gosh I agree. My discharge letter after a heart attack and stents was completely gobbledegook. Any one would need a medical degree to understand it. It was full of abbreviations and technical terms which I do understand your GP needs to know but why not give the patient one in ENglish. Mine said I had a probable 75% blockage of the LAD. What the hell is an LAD? SO I googled it and what did I find? Hundreds of American sites calling it "Widow maker". That must surely be the simplest way to give someone another heart attack! I am a firm believer in using the correct terms for parts of the body but not everyone even knows those. I don't mean dumb down their explanations but just use simple, normal English. A heart attack is just that to most people, not a MI

[Recoder_Bill]

Don't get me started .............

I hate acronyms and wage war against their arbitary use. Some people use them to give a false impression that they are an "expert" or at least know better than those that have not met the acronym in question before.

In my professional life I do not tolerate the use of them unless the full "description" is given first, followed by the acronym that will be used thereafter. If it is a verbal situation it is necessary to ensure that all listening know clearly what is meant by the acronym.

To do anything else can be extremely dangerous in some circumstances.

Here endeth my mini-rant.

[NathanBlau]

With the greatest of respect I am sure that the language in use on this site is most certainly not used to demonstrate superior educational status - in most cases it just aids clear communication without the need to write full descriptions of each and every term.

Look on the bright side, your repeated reference to the large print dictionary must be radically enhancing your word power lol . If all else fails just ask a question!