Medical-German planned for students

Away from technical Chinese: Medical students learn understandable language

15/10/2014

For many patients, what their doctor tells them is pure jargon. At the Technical University in Dresden, medical students will in future be able to learn a language that is understandable to patients. From the winter semester it should be with the „Medical-German“ start.

Patients do not understand technical jargon
„No definite path. Significance of a long, accentuated canalis centralis of the cervical and also partial thoracic spinal cord without stimulus reaction of the immediate environment.“ Something similar is often the case with doctors. The majority of all patients will not be able to do anything with this subject Chinese. Physicians often do not seem to be able to express themselves understandably to laymen. In Dresden this is about to change, where the Medical Faculty of the Technical University wants to ensure better communication between patients and doctors.

Medical students should learn understandable language
From the winter semester on, medical students will be the only elective subject nationwide „What do I have?“ offered for patient-friendly communication. This informed the managing director of the same-named non-profit GmbH, Anja Bittner, on Tuesday opposite the news agency dpa with. It is said that the two-month course should help to work up medical Latin understandable, „so that the patient knows what it is about“. „The point is, on the one hand, that they themselves understand the jargon but can also explain it to laymen.“

Great interest in the new elective
The offer will be financed with 20 places by the Foundation of the University Medical Center Dresden. According to Bittner, it should be offered annually from the summer semester 2015, if it proves to be successful. „The interest is great, there are only two places left.“ The model for the elective subject is an Internet portal initiated by graduates of the faculty „What do I have?“, about the medical findings since 2011 are brought in a language understandable to laymen for free. The medical Latin has been there by students in an easy to understand language „translated“.

Lack of health literacy
„There is a great need for it in patients, and we feel that the students are really learning something“, explained Bittner. The expert belongs to the organizers of the internet platform. There will also explain the electoral subject real cases. „You can do this on a subject-specific basis and select the appropriate inquiries.“ The importance of the topic is also expressed in a study by the AOK, which was published a few months ago. Accordingly, it was found that one quarter of the insured could not implement what the doctor advises them because they do not understand what is meant. However, at that time experts pointed to a lack of health literacy of citizens. (Ad)