England, 2016).
Summary of care during pregnancy
Women are seen a minimum of 12 times in their first
pregnancy by numerous health care professionals,
including midwives, sonographers and doctors
(NHS Conditions, 2016). This number decreases
in subsequent pregnancies, but increases should
the woman have any pre-existing conditions
or if the woman develops any problems during
pregnancy. These can include but are not limited
to; gestational diabetes, concerns over the size of
the foetus, concerns over the foetal movements or
pre-eclampsia.
During appointments with the midwife, the women
is provided with a lot of information about her
pregnancy both verbally and written. Often, it is
suggested that the women look up or read more
about a topic and are provided with a leaflet
containing relevant information and guidance.
Although these leaflets and research are written
using patient-friendly language, this does not provide
the women the opportunity to ask questions to aid
understanding. In local trusts, the majority of the
information is now provided to women using an app.
This use of technology allows the women to see their
appointments and all the information about their own
pregnancy, but also includes extra information about
the diet they should follow in pregnancy, pelvic floor
exercises and growth charts for their baby. Although
some of the extra information given uses patient-
friendly language, the main interface of the app is
the same as the one used by health professionals,
resulting in medical terminology throughout.
Advantages
Acronyms are frequently used in healthcare to
identify and simplify the communication of medical
terminology. These acronyms can be extremely
useful during a team exercise, as all the healthcare
professionals understand them, and they can be
time-efficient (Fields et al., 2008). They can be
used successfully during emergency situations in
discussions between healthcare professionals to
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provide the best course of action or when developing
a plan. This eliminates any difference in understanding
between healthcare professionals and allows
professionals to communicate with one another
without vagueness, misunderstanding or generalities
(Litherland, 2017). As medical terminology is very
specific, there is no room for misunderstanding.
Every disease has a specific name, as does every
part of the body and every procedure. This saves
vital time in medical and obstetric emergencies
(Litherland, 2017). The use of exact terminology
allows clear communication between health care
professionals. However, care should be taken not to
use it in front of patients (Farrington, 2011). In an
emergency setting, stating a ‘Shoulder Dystocia’ is
much quicker than saying ‘the shoulders have not
released following routine axial traction and the
delivery of the head’. This use of precise and succinct
medical terminology provides professionals with
the same understanding in a much quicker time and
uses concise communication, allowing the healthcare
professionals to deal with the emerging emergency
effectively and timely.
A study conducted in the UK and the Syrian Arab
Republic trialled communication training packages
over four days for health professionals. The health
professionals were then assessed in obstetric
emergencies and evaluated by patients. The findings
found that there was little or no difference to
the birth experience before and after the training
packages (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2018).
The medical terminology which health professionals
use spans language barriers (Litherland, 2017). This
allows professionals from different countries and
cultures to communicate utilising a common language
which aids the professional working environment as
there is no misunderstanding between professionals
(Collins, 2013).
Some research states that women are going to have
the same experiences of pregnancy and childbirth
regardless of the language used around them in
hospital (Preis et al., 2018). The self-fulfilling prophecy
states that women’s attitudes surrounding birth will
affect them more than the use of medical terminology
(Benyamini et al., 2017). If this is truly the case, the