Making healthcare make sense
Benign, lesion, palpitation, and hypertension are examples of words commonly heard when you visit a doctor or hospital, but what do they really mean?
Clinical staff often use words that are new or unfamiliar to patients. Although unintentional, words and phrases that may seem obvious to clinicians can be unclear to consumers.[1]
Nearly 6 out of 10 adults in Australia have a low level of health literacy.[2] Health literacy relates to how a person understands and uses health and healthcare information. When clinicians use complex medical terms, it can be harder for consumers to make the best decisions about their health and healthcare.
What is plain English?
Most medical terms can be broken down into plain English. Using plain English helps the reader to understand the information the first time they read it. Plain English uses short, clear sentences, and everyday words.
Examples of swapping health jargon for plain English
Click on the hotspots below to learn what some of our common hospital terms mean
Tell us your jargon here
What jargon annoys you most? Once you've submitted your jargon, check out below what jargon annoys others. (max 140 characters).
5 April, 2025
Gi says:
Glaucoma
4 April, 2025
tim cheese says:
The jargon that annoys me the most are the acronyms as they should just not abbreviate it and let us know what each word is
4 April, 2025
maria k says:
what mateo said for sure
4 April, 2025
Nolen Huynh says:
“Bandwidth” when referring to time or capacity is especially grating—needlessly technical and often used to avoid direct communication.
4 April, 2025
Ethan Chiong says:
“Synergy” is particularly bothersome—vague, overused, and often deployed to mask a lack of concrete ideas or meaningful collaboration.
4 April, 2025
Samuel Gibson says:
“Utilise” instead of “use” is especially frustrating—an inflated alternative that adds formality without improving clarity or precision.
4 April, 2025
Luka Choat says:
The term “leverage” in place of “use” is particularly irksome—unnecessarily inflated and emblematic of needlessly complex business language.
4 April, 2025
carey ma says:
i hate jargon so incredibly much!
4 April, 2025
mathew says:
what mateo said
4 April, 2025
MATEO says:
I HATE JARGON I HATE JARGON I HATE JARGON I HATE JARGON I HATE JARGON I HATE JARGON I HATE JARGON
4 April, 2025
beautrice says:
jargon is so stupid as i dont understand anything
3 April, 2025
freya says:
chromophores have been identified as cytochrome c oxidase in mitochondria, and calcium ion
channels (possibly mediated by light
Why is health literacy important?
Lower health literacy can make it harder to
- seek treatment
- understand instructions (such as which medication to take)
- manage a condition
- decide between treatment options
- ask questions.
About the Drop the Jargon campaign
Drop the Jargon was established to bring attention to the language used by staff working in health that is often not understood by consumers. In October each year, the campaign promotes the need for plain English when engaging with patients and consumers.
References
[1] Royal College of General Practitioners. Health literacy: report from an RCGP led health literacy workshop. June 2014. https://library.hee.nhs.uk/binaries/content/assets...
[2] Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Health literacy: Taking action to improve safety and quality. Sydney: ACSQHC, 2014. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/...
