What do you think about the use of medical jargon?

[Eric White]

Though the use of medical jargon might be a turn-off for some readers, I personally found that it enhanced the experience of reading the book. I do have a significant interest in the medical field to start, so I may be biased, but I think that it was both personal to the author as well as allows the reader to further explore those terms, if they wish to gain more knowledge related to the subject matter.

[Ochieng Omuodo]

The author has gone to the extent of describing, at the very beginning of the book, she being diagnosed with a cancer, the tests that were done, the procedures and their results, the names of medications, etc. Is it a good thing to include that much technical content in a book which is intended for non-medical personnel?

It definitely is a good thing because it is educational. Further she does explain terms when she uses them. For example, amelanotic nodular melanoma, we are told, is a form of skin cancer and Opdivo (Nivolumab) 'helps your immune system attack and kill the cancer cells'. I certainly would not appreciate a medical book that used substitute language.

[kdstrack]

I think that, at some point, if we are talking about healthcare, we will need to familiarize ourselves with some of these terms. Look at all the medical terminology we have become familiar with during the past year: coronavirus, spike proteins, VAERS, myocarditis, etc. This vocabulary is part of the knowledge the author is sharing with her readers (even if some of the terms are specialized for her type of cancer.)

[hullahope]

In my opinion, it is necessary to use medical jargon to a certain extent because that helps the readers to get familiar with this jargon. Which might come in handy if and when they face a similar situation.

[Precious Naiti]

I had no problem with the jargon because it challenged me to do more research and understand more what the author was talking about.

[Jagiine]

I think it's fine. As someone who has always been interested in the medical field, I may be a bit biased, but I don't think it's an isolated issue. When people read historical fiction or fantasy novels, for example, they expect to come across unfamiliar terms. They then either get the gist through context or they look the words up (I usually do a combination). With medical jargon specifically, people accept that it's just a part of the environment when they watch medical dramas and such. I don't think this is any different aside from the fact that it may feel intimidating to some...

Well, you have mentioned few important points. People can get a general idea when they read a fiction despite of taking the meaning of each and every word. That is applicable to medical drama as well. But I do not think the same can be done with an educational book, like this one because you have to understand it and not to have a general idea about it. It is similar to studying a text book.

Hmm, I suppose that's pretty true, but not entirely. I think it's possible for some people to read with a desire to understand every detail and spend a lot more time looking things up than those who are only reading with a generic desire for information. It simply comes down to how much each reader is willing to categorize. For example, the author wrote, "After her appointment, I ordered a thyroid panel and also thyroid antibodies. Upon review of her lab results, I diagnosed Mary with hyperthyroidism. We discussed that this could be concerning, so she agreed to a thyroid ultrasound as well as some additional studies. Her final diagnosis after a thyroid biopsy was thyroid cancer. Following appropriate treatment, Mary has been cured!" Though I basically understood what she was saying, I didn't know all of the specifics, and I wasn't trying to work on or study the mentioned case. Thus, I read, "After her appointment, I ordered [tests]. Upon review of her lab results, I diagnosed Mary with [a disease]. We discussed that this could be concerning, so she agreed to [more tests]. Her final diagnosis after a... biopsy was... cancer. Following appropriate treatment, Mary has been cured!"

This is the same thing I do when watching medical dramas in a zone-out phase, except that I was able to keep up even if I got distracted for a moment. After all, this is the basic plot of what happens on many of their episodes. Additionally, I think she did a great job of picking accessible terms when appropriate, a skill any medical veteran should have, and briefly defining new vocabulary and acronyms. Shows do this sometimes, but they usually save their explanations for when they can add drama or absolutely need to explain something. Likewise, I rarely see inordinate vocabulary explained in fiction writing, even though it does sometimes get so cumbersome that I have no idea what's going on without researching the original stumbling block was well as the context I was counting on to help. Isn't this, after all, what so many people have cited as their reason for not wanting to actually read classics? All in all, I think there's some validity to your statement, but that most of it probably boils down to intimidation and a lack of familiarity or simple curiosity.

[Faith - Benny Any]

Medical jargons are good but individuals who aren't in that field, passing through the ailment that requires it or have patients in that regard won't be able to comprehend the meaning. Nevertheless, it's good to know because knowledge is power.

[Joyful17]

While I appreciated her sharing her personal story, I felt the names of the medicines should have been left out, considering the fact that some readers might try to practice self medication which could have serious consequences.

[Alice Ngugi]

I do not feel like he was out of place with the jargon. I believe it's a learning opportunity for non-medics to familiarize well with some of this knowledge that they may otherwise never get anywhere else.

[Nancy Morara]

It's not entirely out of place to do that. It's a book anchored on medical health, and there's really no realistic way the author could have avoided the use of medical jargons entirely. So the usage for me isn't a lot to handle.

It's indeed a book that brings the medical field so there are some terms that the author couldn't indeed avoid, but I think they could be better explained or substituted by other terms too. Maybe it's something more personal since I found it difficult to understand some words than others, but it's something to think about too because this is a great book and the usage of medical jargon won't change it to me.

I agree, I remember in highschool I read a set book that introduced me to a medical term I didn't know. It was a "cadaver," I didn't know the meaning until it explained that, a cadaver is the lifeless body donated for medical students to practice on. Yes the author should have explained some terms to make it clear to there readers. Nevertheless it was an interesting read.

[Vidhi Adhikari]

Being a fan of medical drama, I enjoy reading semi-technical explanations of medical conditions and treatments. Hence, I personally don't see any problem in using medical jargon in the book.

[Susan Kihleng]

Medical personnel or not, I think it's important to understand the correct terminology when it comes to diagnosis, treatment, and even prevention. I don't believe the author was out of place at all in the use of medical jargon in this book. We need to educate ourselves on our own health and wellbeing and I feel that is the purpose of this book anyway.

[Ailakhu Yusau Aizhebiomon]

The book from my view is what both health and non-health practitioners can relate with. However, it's gives an insight into cancer management.

[Arite Seki]

Thankfully we are living in times where information is relatively more accessible. As this is the case, I think that all the medical jargon has its place and so anyone who wishes to learn more about it would be able to know what to look for.

[CoolReads]

Initially, I was a bit overwhelmed with the many cancer-related medical terms the author jammed into Chapter 1. I could have likely abandoned the book at this stage (Chapter 1). But I am grateful that I did persevere as the medical jargons ease up and I did discover some helpful tips like the 'living will.'