When doctors talk about scientific research and medical discoveries, they may seem to speak another language. As a patient, he can think: “All this is Greek for me!” And it could be.
When scientists publish their research findings, they are not writing to you and me. They are writing to each other. They share a secret language, generally open only for those who have advanced scientific education or extensive experience in conducting research.
The average medical care consumer is not part of that club. That may be fine when you are healthy. You can collect the latest medical news when your favorite television station or conventional news sources cover it.
But if you have a complicated medical condition or you are trying to get a diagnosis, you may need details. The dense language used in scientific studies can make it impossible to understand research. That can be more than simply an inconvenience. You can keep it in the dark about your own condition or treatment options.
Simple language summaries (PLS) are reports that translate complex data and scientific jargon into everyday English, in terms that anyone can understand.
In the spirit of making complex ideas easy to digest, this is what you should know about simple language summaries.
What is a simple language summary?
A simple language summary (please) It is a concise summary and easy to understand of an article or scientific study, which will generally be published in scientific or medical journals.
PLS converts complex information into easy content to read, using terms that you cannot understand. It is like having someone really good to explain the things that help you make sense of complex science.
Why do we need simple language summaries?
Scientific research studies are usually reviewed by pairs, which means that other experts in the specific field of research review the study and decide if it is of high quality and worthy of being published. It is an obstacle that scientists have to overcome before they can publish their work. And that helps explain why these studies are so difficult to understand. They are not written to be clear for an average person. They are aimed at an audience of other expert scientists.
You may have thought that science would have left when school ended. You may not believe it when your science teacher tried to convince him that he would use his lessons in real life one day.
But maybe you or a loved one are experiencing a serious medical condition, or wants to understand a new vaccine. Maybe he has symptoms that his doctor cannot explain, and he would like to get to the bottom. Now suddenly, you may want to have paid more attention to the science class. At least, he could admit that his science professor may have been right that understanding science can be useful in daily life.
The PLs are the bridge between complex and detailed science behind research and medical discoveries and the rest of us, who may not have loved the science class or retained much of it. PLS gives non -scientific power to understand research that can be directly relevant to their health.
Without simple language summaries, patients are at the mercy of their doctors and other experts. If you are someone who likes to understand what is happening or who wants to do some of your own research, the PLS are a gift. They provide access to information that otherwise only experts can understand, such as a Decoder ring or a translator in a foreign language.
With the emergence of AI, it is now easy to obtain complex information summaries in an instant. But there is a trap: not all the production of AI is reliable. Some tools of AI invent things. They could refer to sources that do not exist or not applicable. They can see and seem convincing, but you must still be careful to trust these summaries too much. They will undoubtedly continue to improve, but in the meantime, the PLS are created by reliable and expert sources and can be more reliable summaries of the investigation.
Who are simple language summaries?
PLs are for all: patients and regular medical care consumers, as well as medical care providers (SHCP). HCPs can have specialized training and more knowledge on medical issues than normal people, but they are often occupied and can appreciate a quick summary, especially if it is in an area outside their regular practice area.
As patients, we may never know as much as our HCP, and some of us do not want to know as much as they do. It helps to trust the experience of our HCPS. But PLS helps put patients on a more uniform playing field with their HCP. They allow patients to ask good questions and make truly informed decisions about our own care.
How to find and read a simple language summary
Not all studies have a complementary PLS, and PLS can be difficult to find because there is no standard where and when to publish them. However, more and more, PLS are seen as a way to help share scientific findings with the public. Cochrane collaboration, a global network of researchers and health professionals, publishes reviews of medical research that evaluates the effectiveness of different interventions, based on published studies. Now publish a PLS along with each review. You can also find PLS on the website of the magazine published by the study. A study De PLS discovered that PLS could be within the article, together with the article in a separate link or tab on a website, or in separate channels such as social networks or a separate website.
This educational resource was created with the support of Sumitomo Pharma, a member of the Corporate Advisory Council of Hisealswomen.
