Tokuda Yasuharu, Okamoto Sawako, Yoshioka Yasuo, Aizawa Masao, Tanaka Makiro, Motomura Kazuhisa, Hayano Keiko
Department of Medicine, St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo.
Intern Med. 2008;47(14):1329-34. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.47.0862. Epub 2008 Jul 15.
To identify patient reports about their difficulties with medical jargon, to classify the most problematic types, and to examine the socio-demographic factors associated with them.
A cross-sectional nationwide survey (October 6 and November 4, 2004) was conducted. Out of 4,500 Japanese people (aged 15 years and older) who had seen physicians, 3,090 agreed to participate (response rate: 69%). Participants were asked the following: "Do you find physicians that use medical jargon difficult to understand?" and "What type of words did your physician use that required further explanation or clarification?"
Of 3,090 respondents, 1,117 participants (36.1%; 95% confidence interval, 34.5-37.8%) reported difficulties understanding medical jargon. Those between the ages of 30 and 49 years, self-employed workers, homemakers, and unemployed individuals experienced the most difficulties. Difficult jargon included: 1) technical Japanese words, such as Kakutan Saibo-shin (sputum cytology) (57% of participants); 2) English medical terminology, such as clinical path (57%); and 3) English medical abbreviations, such as EBM (47%).
In addition to avoiding technical words when communicating with their patients, Japanese physicians should consider the unique medical situation in which foreign terminology and abbreviations are used in Japan. Translation of foreign terminology into Japanese can be helpful for patients. Physicians should take the initiative to educate patients and familiarize them with foreign terminology and abbreviations.
识别患者关于医学术语理解困难的报告，对最具问题的类型进行分类，并研究与之相关的社会人口学因素。
于2004年10月6日至11月4日进行了一项全国性横断面调查。在4500名看过医生的15岁及以上日本人中，3090人同意参与（应答率：69%）。参与者被问及以下问题：“你是否觉得使用医学术语的医生难以理解？”以及“你的医生使用了哪些类型的词汇需要进一步解释或说明？”
在3090名受访者中，1117名参与者（36.1%；95%置信区间，34.5 - 37.8%）报告在理解医学术语方面存在困难。年龄在30至49岁之间的人、个体经营者、家庭主妇和失业者遇到的困难最大。难懂的术语包括：1）日语专业词汇，如喀痰细胞诊（痰细胞学）（57%的参与者）；2）英语医学术语，如临床路径（57%）；3）英语医学缩写，如循证医学（47%）。
除了在与患者沟通时避免使用专业词汇外，日本医生还应考虑到在日本使用外来术语和缩写的独特医学情况。将外来术语翻译成日语可能对患者有帮助。医生应主动对患者进行教育，使其熟悉外来术语和缩写。
