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Podcast: The Podcast by KevinMD
Episode: Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine
Description: Communications consultant and attorney Heather Hansen discusses her article, "Why every doctor needs a translator." Drawing on her background as a medical malpractice defense attorney, she explains the "curse of knowledge," where physicians, once expert, find it difficult to imagine not knowing complex medical information, leading to communication barriers with patients. Heather argues that doctors must become effective "translators" of medical jargon into plain language, noting that research found only two percent of sample orthopedic patient materials met sixth-grade readability standards. She presents a three-step process for physicians to overcome this challenge: Be Curious (actively ask patients what they...