In this Research Reflections blog, Beth shares how she learnt to navigate the terminology surrounding health and social care when she first joined Healthwatch Essex. She explains how she started to create a glossary to help understand some of the confusing terms and invites you to share any words, phrases, or acronyms that you would like to see added to the glossary too.
As someone who is new to health and social care, when I first joined Healthwatch Essex I found that there was a whole host of terms and acronyms that I had never seen or heard before. Initially, I found it quite challenging to sit in meetings, attend events or read certain literature and fully comprehend what was being said, as there was a range of words I did not understand. During these meetings and when reading articles, I began making a list of the terms and acronyms that confused me, so that I could google them later. However, when looking for definitions and explanations online, I found that they often contained technical language that confused me even more. Health and social care definitions can often be ‘riddled with jargon and clumsy wording’ (Think Local Act Personal, 2020).
Read more here: https://healthwatchessex.org.uk/2023/08/introducing-healthwatch-essexs-glossary/
