The Role of Medical Language in Changing Public Perceptions of Illness
Author Information
Author(s): Young Meredith E., Norman Geoffrey R., Humphreys Karin R.
Primary Institution: McMaster University
Hypothesis
Does using 'medicalese' to label a recently medicalized disorder lead to a change in the perception of that condition?
Conclusion
The use of medical language in communication can induce bias in perception, making a disease seem more serious and more likely to be a disease.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants rated the medical label for recently medicalized disorders as more serious than the lay label.
- Medicalese labels were considered more representative of a disease than lay labels.
- Participants estimated lower prevalence for disorders described with medicalese compared to lay terminology.
Takeaway
When doctors use fancy medical words instead of everyday language, people think the illness is more serious and less common.
Methodology
Undergraduate students rated the seriousness, disease representativeness, and prevalence of medical and lay labels for various disorders.
Potential Biases
The study may not generalize beyond the undergraduate population, and the specific characteristics of medical language driving the effect were not identified.
Limitations
The study's design only allows for inferring causal relationships, and the sample was limited to undergraduate students.
Participant Demographics
Undergraduate students from McMaster University.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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