Say what? The importance of breaking down medical jargon for your patients

The core idea

Learning a new language works best when students absorb familiar words and expressions. Patients who do not understand their diagnosis, treatment plan, or medication instructions rarely recover or improve their health.

Our course goal

Our courses teach physicians to communicate more effectively with patients. We help doctors replace complex medical terms and acronyms with common words and phrases.

How we teach

Our method focuses on doctor–patient communication. We align lessons with each doctor’s learning objectives. We provide language practice through doctor–patient role-plays and verbal communication classes. We design varied exercises so doctors can interact easily with patients.

The importance of role-play in learning a new language

Our language trainers have observed a clear pattern over the years. In Medical English and Medical French courses, speaking with patients in plain language is a crucial skill.

Doctors sometimes struggle to explain medical concepts without sounding too technical. During our classes, we run doctor–patient role-plays. In these exercises, doctors explain a procedure to a patient using plain words. After the role-play, the doctor and trainer review the performance together. The trainer’s main objective is to discuss how the doctor can improve their skills.

4 steps to help doctors learn easier

We use the following exercises to improve medical conversations with patients.

1. We practise together. Doctors explain a medical procedure, such as a colonoscopy, to our language trainer.

2. We teach synonyms to enlarge vocabulary. During role-plays, the trainer helps the doctor repeat sentences using less technical terms.

3. We train doctors to use analogies that patients understand easily. For example, when explaining otitis media to a 9-year-old boy, we suggest comparing the infected fluid in his ear to stagnant water in an uncleaned aquarium.

4. We help doctors discuss medical pathologies. Our trainer provides medical topics so doctors can communicate with ease and fluency.