Ariel Lederman discusses about the importance of knowing medical dictionary as a patient - and how it can be useful for you in the future. Click on this presentation to learn more.

1. A Medical Dictionary Helps You Be an
Informed Patient
If you are at all health-conscious, you probably want to be your own health advocate, and that
means you have to be an informed patient. But if you are like most people and you don't know
medical-speak, listening to a doctor giving you a diagnosis or description of a condition can be
more confusing than helpful. And with the current state of our medical system, doctors are usually
as rushed and overworked as anyone else, so it's hard to ask them to take the time to translate what
they have just told you into plain English. But there's a simple solution to that called a medical
dictionary.

2. It may have never occurred to you that there is such an easy way to get explanations and
clarification of what your doctor and you have been discussing, but if you look up "medical
dictionary" online, you'll be amazed to find that there are dozens of them available. Some are
free and others are not, but you can look through the descriptions of several at your own pace
and choose one that seems like it will be the most suitable for you.
There are inclusive medical dictionaries that contain definitions of diseases and conditions, the
usual treatment protocols and the prescriptions or OTC medications used to treat whatever the
problem is. There are medical dictionaries that focus solely on prescription drugs, and they
usually include extremely helpful lists of which drugs interact without problems. This is
especially useful for people who are taking multiple medications or for the caretakers of the
elderly. There are plain-language dictionaries, symptom dictionaries and ones that provide
language translations.
Medical dictionaries of all sorts are simply great resources for anyone who is dealing with a
specific diagnosis or for anyone who wants to increase their general medical knowledge base in
order to become more proactive in their own medical choices. As the medical horizons continue
to expand it's nearly impossible for one practitioner to be aware of all the variables that go into a
specific medical problem, so it's up to you to keep yourself informed.
To be your own advocate in a medical situation may take some research, but it's the best way to
make sure that you understand the condition, the treatment and the prognosis you have been
given. And in our hurry-up, no-time world, medical dictionaries can help you make sure that you
don't leave the doctor's office feeling unsure or confused. Remember: knowledge is power.

3. Ariel Lederman is an aspiring medical doctor who studies biology at University of Southern California.