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Medicine vocabulary · Patient Communication

Lay terms

Meaning in medicine, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In medicine, lay terms means: Everyday words that people without medical training understand, used instead of technical vocabulary when talking to patients.

In Turkish: halkın anlayacağı dil, sade dil, tıbbi olmayan dil

How it is used

Usually in the phrase 'in lay terms': 'Can you explain that in lay terms?' Related phrases are 'layperson', 'lay audience' and 'plain English'. Communication skills teaching stresses avoiding jargon.

Example sentences

  1. In lay terms, a myocardial infarction is a heart attack.

  2. Try to explain the procedure in lay terms; she looked confused.

Common collocations

  • in lay terms
  • layperson
  • lay summary
  • plain English
  • reassureTo say or do something that makes a worried patient or relative feel calmer and less afraid, usually by explaining that a problem is not serious.
  • informed consentA patient's agreement to a treatment or procedure, given after the doctor has explained what it involves, its benefits, its risks and the alternatives.
  • bedside mannerThe way a doctor behaves and talks with patients, especially how kind, calm and reassuring they are.
  • break bad newsTo tell a patient or family difficult information, such as a serious diagnosis or a death, in a careful, honest and kind way.

More terms: Patient Communication

Practise with graded reading

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.