Communication of Proper Health

993 Words2 Pages

Have you ever wondered why you can never understand what comes out of a doctor’s mouth? Its like he is speaking another language filled with twice as many words, longer than you thought should ever exist. This is because in the medical field there is certain health literacy, meaning, unless our a health care professional, who’s undergone years of studying this literacy, its going to be rather hard to comprehend why you found yourself talking to a doctor in the first place. This health literacy helps doctors and professionals in the medical field communicate with each other efficiently and accurately. As a pre-med major, figuring out this literacy is what will change me from an undergrad to a professional. The complexity of communication that is present in the medical field allows professionals to execute their duties with perfection.
One form of this different language is face-to-face communication. Between doctor and patient communication can be tough. Many factors are involved in face-to-face communication. One limitation is vocabulary. Doctors are trained to use and understand a multitude of advance words, which add together to create a health literacy. Defined by he American Medical Association, health literacy is ‘a constellation of skills, including the ability to perform basic reading and numerical tasks required to function in the health care environment”(Saffeer, Richard S., MD, and Jann Keenan). Health literacy is the basic understanding of language and math that allows people to function properly in a health care environment. This advance set of vocabulary has been ingrained into the minds of eager students. It is the language they have been studying and learning for years.
Doctors are used to communicating with ...

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...rrectly with there fellow doctors. Whether through journals, articles, or face to face, this health literacy, that’s been ingrained in professional’s minds, has helps them treat patients to their best abilities. Communication in the medical field may be one of the most important skills a doctor must hone.

Works Cited

1. DeLengocky, Tayson, DO. "Osteopathic Medicine and the Growth of D.O. Graduates as Physicians." KevinMD.com. N.p., 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

2. Saffeer, Richard S., MD, and Jann Keenan. "Health Literacy: The Gap Between Physicians and Patients." American Family Physician. American Academy of Family Physicians, 1 Aug. 2005. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

3. Fleming, Alexander. "The Discovery of Penicillin." (1944): 4-5.

4. McKenna, Maryn. "Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future." Medium. Food and Environment Reporting Network, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

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