Simplify, no matter how much it hurts
Writers will tell you it is much harder to write simply than it is to sound brilliant. When writing consent forms, the risk manager should use the most basic, widely known terms instead of those that sound needlessly impressive or academic.
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Office for Protection of Research Subjects has recommendations for writing consent forms clearly. Much of the advice can be found on-line at www.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/oprs/Forms/consent.html. Here are some of the school’s recommendations for choosing words carefully:
| Instead of: | Try: |
| acute | recent, sudden |
| adverse effect | bad side effect |
| assay | lab test |
| benign | usually without serious consequences |
| bolus | an amount given all at once |
| carcinogenic | capable of causing cancer |
| catheter | a tube for withdrawing or introducing fluids |
| chronic | continuing for a long time |
| clinical trial | an experiment with patients |
| controlled trial | a study in which the experimental procedures are compared to a standard (accepted) treatment or procedure |
| culture | test for infection, or organ isms that could cause infection |
| diagnostic instrument | questions |
| double blind | study in which neither investigators nor subjects know which drug the sub ject is receiving |
| dysplasia | abnormal cells |
| edema | increased fluid |
| efficacy | effectiveness |
| extravasate | to leak outside of a blood vessel |
| hematoma | a bruise, a black and blue mark |
| heparin lock | needle placed in the arm with blood thinner to keep the blood from clotting |
| monitor | check on, keep track of, watch carefully |
| morbidity | undesired result or complication |
| mortality | death or death rate |
| necrosis | death of tissue |
| oncology | the study of tumors or cancer |
| percutaneous | through the skin |
| placebo | a substance of no medical value, an inactive substance |
| PRN | as needed |
| protocol | plan of study |
| random | by chance, like the flip of a coin |
| relapse | return of a disease |
| retrospective | looking back over past experience |
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