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I don't know about you, but when my doctor throws a bunch of acronyms at me, I always ask what they mean. If nothing else, it slows down the torrent of informa

by klyrs 4y ago

I don't know about you, but when my doctor throws a bunch of acronyms at me, I always ask what they mean. If nothing else, it slows down the torrent of information enough for me to process what I'm hearing. But I know enough greek and latin roots that it usually helps my memory file the information away for future retrieval. Sometimes doctors get offended at having to explain what's going on to the patient. Those are bad doctors.

matheusmoreira 4y ago
> Sometimes doctors get offended at having to explain what's going on to the patient. I didn't mean it that way. It's all about using an appropriate language and level of detail for each person. It's fun to talk about how Sonic the Hedgehog was immortalized in the human genome here on HN but in a clinical setting it's ultimately irrelevant and counterproductive. Some people are curious and ask lots of questions. Many will be confused and tune you out completely if you start explaining technical stuff. It's the doctor's job to help them understand so they can make informed decisions. This is accomplished by tailoring the message to each recipient.