You may feel healthcare providers use medical terminology to put a barrier between you and them. Healthcare providers use medical terminology to be more efficient. Saving 30 seconds by using medical shorthand might make a difference between life and death in an emergency.

A good example is the term bacterial gastroenteritis. This term means “inflammation of the stomach and the intestines due to a bacterial infection.” Using two words versus 12 words is significant. String several terms together and you could save a minute or more. In the ER a physician could save a life in this amount of time.