Language of health
LANGUAGE OF HEALTH
INCREASING UNDERSTANDING
Anyone who has travelled somewhere new will know how difficult it can be to find your way or understand the language. For patients, coming face to face with a health problem or needing health services is like suddenly landing in a strange new city – without the reassurance of a map or a guidebook.
In the past there have been numerous examples where poor understanding and communication has led to less than satisfactory experiences for patients and healthcare providers. Help4U has been part of a Ministry of Health Project, helping to improve patient access to and understanding of their health information.
The new Plain WordsTM tool will ensure the future of healthcare is a lot less confusing and time consuming for both patients and health professionals. Plain WordsTM has been developed by Help4U using a common ‘plain words’ Language of Health. Utilising this carefully constructed framework, patients and health professionals can quickly and easily identify where they are in the system and where they need to go.
Guided by the Plain WordsTM framework Help4U ran a series of focus groups to research the understanding and experiences of patients and health professionals. The results showed that a higher than expected degree of confusion existed, with a lack of consistent understanding and application of language. Clearly a common Language of Health is needed.
“A bomb has just been dropped on you and then suddenly you are bombarded with words this long and you are just sitting there totally overwhelmed”
Focus Group Participant, 2009
“When I was down in Dunedin as an undergraduate student, after two years of study, the system has changed now, but you used to do a lot of science papers before you did any hospital work. A professor at the end of the year said, ‘this is all very important because you don’t realise yet, but you have just learned a new language! He estimated that each medical student had to learn 20,000 words and be able to use them. He said you have to learn that before we can let you loose in the hospital, otherwise we can’t talk to each other. And that is what you as a patient have to understand. We could all be talking French!”
Focus Group Participant, 2009
As Help4U continues to develop and refine the Language of Health in Plain WordsTM the input of patients and health professionals is encouraged. To be part of the discussion, simply join our Community of Practice by clicking on the Forum link at top left. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the progress of Plain WordsTM and contribute your own thoughts.