Doctors are trained to use a lexicon of medical terminology that baffles patients. She also suggests students show—not tell—how supportive they are by giving patients educational materials, websites, resources and information about support groups that may help them better understand medical terms or issues that apply to their treatment. Find out what the patient wants to know or take away from your meeting. AVPU (pronounced as ave poo) or the AVPU scale — a tool used to assess the patient's brain perfusion and function — describes a patient's level of consciousness. To promote health literacy, the use of medical terminology and acronyms in patient encounters is discouraged. Get to know your patient. Medical terms are often compound words. For example, "cardiomyopathy" translates to "heart muscle disease" ("cardio" = heart; "myo" = muscle; "pathy" = disease). If my patients still do not understand, I find a new way to explain … Establish a rapport. Being a medical professional can be an esteemed and rewarding career. Satisfactory/Good Medical people - doctors, nurses, and others in the health professions - use a lingo with special words. Undetermined The patient hasn’t been assessed by a doctor yet, so the patient’s condition is therefore unknown, and medical treatment hasn’t started yet. You can also explain terms to patients using analogies, metaphors, and diagrams. You must also explain to them that they can refuse the recommended service/procedure, an action that will protect them from any financial liability. I explain the concept to my patients, avoiding medical jargon. Will ask the meaning of words and concepts he doesn't understand. Try explaining medical terms by breaking them down based on the word's root. Patient Condition Terms. Patient teaching based on incorrect assumptions may not be very effective and may take more time. FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE. Introduce yourself and explain your role in your patient's care. Give your patients seven compliments for every one statement of criticism, Zalman said. Patients should prepare for their medical visits and ask questions, always. Patients: Should have a general understanding of medical terms. Other words and concepts are specific to body systems, conditions, diseases or … General medical terms are used by all doctors or many specialties. They are put together from other words that serve as the building blocks of medical language. Answering patients’ billing questions and explaining the process in clear terms is certainly time well-spent. I clarify anything my patients did not understand and reassess their understanding. The patient should know that by signing the ABN, they’ll be responsible for the payment. The many different terms that are used to describe a patient’s medical condition are shown below, in no particular order of any kind. I assess my patients’ understanding by asking them to explain the concept in their own words. 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