Microblog #2 Plain speaking in RTW

There was once a patient who reported a problem with their wrist, “You know doc, it’s my Carpool tunnel.”

Jokes aside, not everyone will have the knowledge or the experience to be able to understand the complexities of an injury or the complexities of a diagnosis.

Medicine is full of complex terminology. This can add another barrier for RTW. We all come with different levels of health literacy. Being able to comprehend the full impact of a diagnosis and then take an active part in your own recovery can be a big challenge.

“In medicine we are very, very good at coming up with really long fancy sounding Latin terms to describe an injury, pretty much because it makes us sound really important. But, if we cannot explain their injury to the individual at a level they understand, then that is going to create a barrier to them being able to take ownership and control of their rehabilitation.”
Dr Sid O’Toole.

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