Reflexiones en torno al lenguaje médico actual, los epónimos y abreviaciones: las razones de su existencia y los principales problemas que plantea su uso / Reflections on current medical language: the eponyms and abbreviations. the reasons of its existence and the main problems that raise its use

El lenguaje médico, como todo lenguaje científico, no persigue fines estéticos, creativos, lúdicos ni recreativos como sería el caso del lenguaje literario, sino fines informativos, didácticos y comunicativos. Los epónimos, así como los diferentes tipos de abreviaciones (abreviaturas, siglas y símbolos), han formado parte del lenguaje de la humanidad desde más de una veintena de siglos y son especialmente abundantes en los lenguajes de las especialidades, tanto de la medicina como de otras ciencias. Así como del lenguaje común y popular, estos han formado parte del lenguaje desde tiempos inmemoriales, y son especialmente abundantes en los lenguajes médico-científicos. Normalmente se utilizan como recurso para honrar, ganar tiempo y ahorrar espacio, cuando esté en su contenido se percibe bien, su uso revela notoriamente un ahorro en la comunicación médica; de no emplearlos, en cada caso habría que hacer una exposición o descripción relativamente amplia de la enfermedad o el signo de que se trata. Sin embargo, pueden producir problemas de comunicación entre los profesionales de los diferentes niveles asistenciales, debido a su imprecisión y a su carencia de equivalencia internacional, lo que puede llevar a confundir la realidad que tratan de describir, ya que un mismo término o abreviatura puede tener diferentes significados, lo que puede suscitar interpretaciones erróneas con posibles consecuencias graves. En este artículo se revisan las razones de su existencia que definen su construcción y uso, se describen los problemas de su utilización en la comunicación medico científica en la actualidad.

Medical language, like all scientific language, does not pursue aesthetic, creative, leisure and recreational purposes as would be the case in literary language, but informative, educational and communication purposes. Eponyms and the different types of abbreviations (abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols) have been part of the language of humanity for over twenty centuries and are especially abundant in the languages for both specialties in medicine, and other sciences. On the common and popular language, these elements have been part of the language since ancient times, and are especially abundant in the medical-scientific languages. Normally are used as a resource to honor, to save time and save space, when its content is perceived well, notoriously it reveals a saving in medical communication; not to use them, in each case would have to make a relatively large exposure or description of the disease or of the sign in question. However, they can cause communication problems between professionals of different levels of care, due to their imprecision and their lack of international equivalence, which may lead to confusing the reality they are trying to describe since the same term or abbreviation could have different meanings, which can lead to misinterpretations with potentially serious consequences. This article discusses the reasons for their existence which define their construction and uses, problems of its use in medical scientific communication at present are also described.

Comparison of abbreviation usage practices in two Philippine tertiary hospitals and perceived effects on medical training

OBJECTIVES:To (1) compare abbreviation usage practices in the Doctors' Orders and History Sheet in two tertiary hospitals in Cebu City, namely, Cebu Velez General Hospital (CVGH) and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC); (2) determine why medical students and physicians use abbreviations and (3) determine the perceived effects on medical student training. METHODS:This is a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing medical chart reviews as well as group and key informant interviews. Stratified Random Sampling with Proportionate Allocation was used to select 100 charts each from CVGH and VSMMC. Purposive sampling was done for key informants. RESULTS: All patients' clinical history, physical examination and doctors' orders in all departments of both hospitals contained abbreviations. First initialization was the most common form, e.g. BP (blood pressure). Non-universally-accepted abbreviations were common, e.g. HFD (heredofamilial disease). Potentially dangerous abbreviations were noted, e.g. d/c, D/C. Abbreviations were used to maintain patient-doctor confidentiality, save space and time, and for convenience. Perceived effects on medical training included speeding up of task performance. CONCLUSIONS: Use of abbreviations in medical charts among medical students and physicians in both private and public tertiary hospitals in the Philippines is a prevalent practice. While such has its perceived benefits, it also poses potential danger to patients because not all abbreviations are understood and used the same way. Medical schools and their training hospitals must initiate moves to standardize the use of abbreviations in medical education and promote awareness of their potential dangers. The authors suggest that potential dangers/benefits of abbreviations be formally introduced in medical school as a separate topic.