CAUSE MARKETING
How Can We Put Medical Terms In Layman ’ s Language ?
By Emily Manjeru
I enjoy being in the hospital setting with patients and watching surgeons work their magic when transforming cleft into a beautiful smile . Feels like I ’ m a cast member in Grey ’ s Anatomy or Good Doctor or House - but in real life . I can ’ t put into words the gratitude and happiness that come when parent and child are reunited after a surgery . It ’ s a priceless feeling .
Although a lot of joy and healing comes from these places , many people , however , are terrified of hospitals - especially surgery . Their fear is valid when your life is in someone ’ s hands , whose jargon makes it even worse to grasp .
When writing stories in the medical field there is always a push and pull of ‘ how can we put it in layman ’ s language ?’ Take the word anaesthesia for example . Many people confuse it with aesthetics - totally different . Anaesthesia means “ loss of sensation ”. Medicines that make one lose sensations are termed as anaesthetics . Anaesthesia providers administer anaesthesia either during surgical operations or tests “ to numb sensation in certain areas of the body or induce sleep ”. Anaesthesia is meant to prevent pain and discomfort , so the doctor can have a better look at what ails you . Aesthetics , on the other hand , means beauty .
As a communicator working in this technical space , accuracy is always sitting on my shoulder as I pen an article , cautious not to be a spelling or phrasing away from miscommunication . I have learnt that it is very important for medical experts to break down information for patients in a way that they are able to grasp the bigger picture .
Universal Health Coverage ( UHC ) Day is commemorated on 12th December , and telling UHC stories is helpful in bringing critical issues to the fore . Our surgical care systems in some public health facilities are wanting . We continue to experience high infant and maternal mortality due to lack of adequate skilled professionals or poor surgical and anaesthesia infrastructure . Research in the Lancet Commission cited that there are 4.6 anaesthesia providers for every 100,000 population in Nairobi and 0.03 per 100,000 in the rest of Kenya . That is one anaesthesia provider serving 27,000 plus people .
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Many people , however , are terrified of hospitals - especially surgery . Their fear is valid when your life is in someone ’ s hands , whose jargon makes it even worse to grasp . I encourage more medics to help break down the walls of understanding their profession for the public to care enough , not just when there is a medical malpractice suit in the public court .
The medical professionals work in highpressure environments that mean life and death , some carry the weight of guilt or sadness when they lose a patient . No matter if they are residents or professors , they are people too . People with families who sometimes put their own lives on the line for others . Some work in deplorable environments with poor pay .
Health is a human right . It is heartbreaking when surgical services and the human resources for health are not prioritized by government . Does your government have a National Surgical Obstetrics and Anaesthesia plan ? Yet , surgery is an indivisible and indispensable part of quality healthcare . We need to keep the government in check on the quality of surgical services in our country - better pay and equipment like pulse oximeters should be provided among others . Collaborations with corporates and high-income countries is one way to subsidize the punitive cost of surgery being slapped on the population . In equal measure , I encourage more medics to help break down the walls of understanding their profession for the public to care enough , not just when there is a medical malpractice suit in the public court .
Cometh the hour when we need medical experts to explain UHC to the layman , it would be great to see more exciting stories in the medical space . Surgical spaces are indeed magnificent to experience , only if their value is fully understood and appreciated . More grease to the elbows of professionals in our surgical ecosystems .
Emily Manjeru is the Communications Manager for Africa at Smile Train . You can commune with her via mail at : Emilymanjeru @ gmail . com .
16 MAL51 / 22 ISSUE