Jargon: A barrier in case history taking? - A cross-sectional survey among dental students and staff

The use of jargon has become very common in the healthcare field, especially in medical/dental records. Although the use of standard medical jargon can be seen as professional, efficient shorthand, a lack of awareness regarding the standard medical abbreviations and incessant and overzealous use of slang among the healthcare professionals can act as a barrier to effective communication and understanding among patients and peers. The aim of this study was to assess the acceptance and use of jargon in case history taking among clinical dental students and dental teaching faculty members of dental colleges in Ernakulam and Idukki districts of Kerala.

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out, consisting of 15 questions, to assess the objectives of the study. The study was conducted among clinical dental undergraduate students, house surgeons, postgraduate students and teaching faculty members of five dental colleges in Ernakulam and Idukki districts, Kerala. The results were expressed as a number and percentage of response for each question and Chi-squared test was used for inferential statistical analysis.

All the 549 respondents used jargon in case history taking. Approximately 22.4% of the respondents admitted that they always used jargon and 55.8% admitted of using jargon only when there was a lack of time. The majority of the respondents (71.4%) learned the jargon from their colleagues. Approximately 50% of the respondents admitted use of jargon in a history section and about 32% of the respondents in all the sections of case history taking. Approximately 74% were of the opinion that abbreviations should be permitted in case history taking.

This study showed widespread use of jargon/abbreviations in case history taking among the respondents. There is a lack of knowledge regarding standard medical abbreviations. Although the majority of the respondents were comfortable with the use of jargon, the majority of the postgraduates and faculty members felt the use of jargon should be stopped.