Knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental and medical students in jargon usage in their regular practice

Abstract

Context: Jargon is widely used in the health-care field, particularly in medical/dental records. Although standard medical abbreviations/jargon can be seen as professional, efficient shorthand, overzealous, and unrepressed jargon used by medical and dental professionals can obstruct effective communication and understanding between patients and peers. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and practice of jargon among medical and dental students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey consisting of 14 questions was carried out among final-year students and interns of the dental and medical college in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Both descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square test and Pearson correlation) were computed. Results: The majority of respondents used jargon while taking a case history. Nearly 86.2% of dental final year, 56.9% of dental interns, 73.8% and 74.6% of final medical years and interns used jargons when there was a lack of time (P = 0.002). 41.1% of BDS final year, 63.1% of BDS interns, 53.8% of medical final years, and 63.9% of medical interns were aware of standard abbreviations (P = 0.001). Nearly 78.5% of dental final year, 83.1% of dental interns, 63.1% and 66.2% of medical final years, and interns felt that the use of abbreviations should be permitted in case history taking (P = 0.027). Conclusion: The study showed the widespread use of jargon in case history taking among respondents. Although the majority of respondents were comfortable with jargon usage, there is a lack of knowledge regarding standard abbreviations. A structured guideline for the use of medical and dental abbreviations or jargon is needed to prevent miscommunication in the interpretation of medical records, which can lead to medicolegal issues.

Keywords

• case history
• dental students
• jargons
• medical
• standard abbreviations