AMA Manual of Style - Stacy L. Christiansen, Cheryl Iverson 2020

Jargon
Correct and Preferred Usage

Many words have found their way into medical vocabularies with unusual meanings that are not recognized even by medical dictionaries. Such writings may be characterized as medical jargon or medical slang. When these words appear in medical manuscripts or in medical conversation, they are unintelligible to other scientists, particularly those of foreign countries; they are not translatable and are the mark of the careless and uncultured person.

Morris Fishbein, MD²¹

Jargon is . . . a language exquisitely precise, using terms in a highly specific sense. It is highly rational, addressed to the intellect and not the emotions; a technical language, intended for a particular group engaged in a particular activity. . . . Jargon has a specificity and precision of meaning, intelligible to a limited group but more or less baffling to other groups.

Lester S. King, MD²²

Words and phrases that can be understood in conversation but are vague, confusing, or depersonalizing are generally inappropriate in formal scientific writing (see 7.7, Diction; 11.1, Correct and Preferred Usage of Common Words and Phrases; and 19.5, Glossary of Statistical Terms).

*Jargon*	*Preferred form*
4+ albuminuria	proteinuria (4+)
blood sugar	blood glucose
chart	medical record
chief complaint	chief concern
cocktail	mixture
congenital heart	congenital heart disease; congenital cardiac anomaly
emergency room	emergency department
exam	examination
flu	influenza
gastrointestinal infection	gastrointestinal tract infection or infection of the gastrointestinal tract
genitourinary infection	genitourinary tract infection or infection of the genitourinary tract
heart attack	myocardial infarction
hyperglycemia of 250 mg/dL	hyperglycemia (blood glucose level of 250 mg/dL)
jugular ligation	jugular vein ligation or ligation of the jugular vein
lab	laboratory
left heart failure	left ventricular failure [preferred, but query author]; left-sided heart failure
normal range	reference range
Pap smear	Papanicolaou test
the patient failed treatment	treatment failed
preemie	premature infant
preop/postop	preoperative/postoperative
prepped	prepared
psychiatric floor	psychiatric department, service, unit, ward
randomized patients	randomly assigned patients
respiratory infection	respiratory tract infection or infection of the respiratory tract
surgeries	operations or surgical procedures
symptomatology	symptoms [query author]
therapy of [a disease or condition]	therapy for
treatment for [a disease or condition]	treatment of
urinary infection	urinary tract infection or infection of the urinary tract

The following terms and euphemisms should be changed to preferred forms:

*Avoid*	*Use*
expired, passed, passed away, succumbed	died
sacrificed	killed; humanely killed; euthanized

Avoid trivializing or dehumanizing disciplines or specialties. For example:

Osteopathic physician and osteopathic medicine, not osteopath and osteopathy

Cardiologic consultant or cardiology consultation, not cardiology [for the person]

Orthopedic surgeon, not orthopod

Colloquialisms, idioms, and vulgarisms should be avoided in formal scientific writing. Exceptions may be made in editorials and informal articles.

AMA Manual of Style - Stacy L. Christiansen, Cheryl Iverson 2020

JargonCorrect and Preferred Usage

Jargon
Correct and Preferred Usage