| Entry Date | What jargon term annoys you the most? | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| October 26, 2022 at 2:44 pm | "Effectuate". As in: "We need to effectuate a change". |
Used by jargonists who seem to feel that simple, precise terminology is too revealing of their own simplicity. |
| October 19, 2022 at 10:23 am | "If you need more information Reach Out" - whaaaat!!!! |
What happened to, "if you need more information, please contact me/us" or "if you need further assistance, please contact me/us". What's with this "reach out" nonsense! |
| October 20, 2022 at 3:35 pm | "Lean in" |
Don't we address / discuss / come together to find solutions - I'm over leaning in!! |
| October 26, 2022 at 2:40 pm | "Normalcy" |
Whatever happened to good old "normality" ? |
| October 26, 2022 at 2:38 pm | "Unarrive". As in: "Pt has unarrived clinic." |
Believe it or not, this piece of astonishingly inept Americlish has begun to enter usage in GP clinic admin software, no doubt spurred on by the equally American notion of "Unfriending" people on Facebook. Please don't allow it to take hold here! |
| October 18, 2024 at 3:53 pm | "under the Act" |
This term is used in mental health to justify services that compromise a consumer's rights. A clinician can state anything is "under the Act" without specifying what the intervention is and how specifically it is covered by the Act. Has the clinician actually read the Act, and do they know which part of the Act they are referring to, and can they be sure their decision is actually legal or according to the principles of the Act? Have they referred to the outcomes and findings of the Mental Health Royal Commission in Victoria? |
| October 20, 2020 at 4:24 pm | 24/7 |
Too American |
| October 21, 2019 at 1:17 pm | A bit on the Spectrum |
saying that a child or adult is a bit on the spectrum? People are either autistic or they are not. |
| October 1, 2024 at 1:27 pm | Accommodation |
Because it means different things and it is easy to replace with 'house' or 'flat' |
| September 9, 2019 at 1:43 pm | acopia |
Because it is: |
| October 24, 2022 at 1:11 pm | Acopic (A-Cope-Ick) |
Meaning "Not coping, not tolerating well". Very frustrating because it makes a negative assumption about the patient that they are only presenting due to difficulty coping and not because they are actually unwell or needing assistance. It labels the patient before they can be thoroughly assessed and its stigmatising them to be the "anxious type" or "hyperchondriac". |
| August 2, 2022 at 11:15 pm | acronyms |
Because many of them are not even familiar to nurses. They are coined by individuals and are not necessarily of common use. We need to remember about 6 out of 10 people in Australia have low or poor health literacy. |
| October 24, 2023 at 3:18 pm | active consideration |
As opposed to inactive consideration? just say consideration |
| October 18, 2021 at 12:53 pm | Anything that is reduced to an acronym |
Acronyms are usually only understood by ‘inner circles’ so their use should be limited appropriately. |
| September 19, 2023 at 4:08 pm | AO's |
Because no-one outside of the government understands that means Administration Officers |
| September 21, 2020 at 10:22 am | AOD |
Not even GPs understand the acronym for Alcohol and other drugs. I have seen websites for community health where "AOD programs" is used rather than "Help with drugs and alcohol" |
| October 20, 2021 at 9:26 am | asymptomatic |
As a health professional I understand that this means "without symptoms", but for my partner who doesn't have a health background and for whom English is not his first language, it meant that you have "a symptom". Imagine how different the Covid-19 health information sounded once he learnt that? I often wonder how many other people still don't understand this term, and who have been following an entirely differently set of Covid safety rules as a result (ie, "stay home if you have symptoms, but you can leave the house if you have a (one) symptom".) |
| October 24, 2023 at 8:45 am | Ballpark |
Another American term which doesn't mean much elsewhere. |
| October 18, 2024 at 9:17 am | BAU |
Business As Usual just an unnecessary pompous sounding term |
| October 20, 2021 at 3:57 pm | binary |
not in regular use |
| Entry Date | What jargon term annoys you the most? | Why? |
Recent Comments