Morbidity and Mortality: Just Skip ’Em

It’s laborious to imagine, expensive readers, however the COVID-19 pandemic has been dominating headlines and newscasts for almost a 12 months. And meaning we’re developing on a 12 months of being inundated with much more public well being jargon than we’re used to.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve coated a number of COVID-related phrases (antibodies! hygiene! isolation/quarantine/social distancing!). And this week, we wish to take it again to fundamentals and discuss 2 phrases which are public well being staples. We know it would ache you (and your public well being diploma) to suppose unwell of those phrases — however should you’re within the enterprise of speaking to customers, they actually haven’t any place on the desk. That’s proper, that is our PSA to well being communicators in every single place: cease utilizing “morbidity” and “mortality.”

“Morbidity,” as you in all probability know, refers to having a illness or the signs of a illness — it’s typically used to speak concerning the fee of illness in a inhabitants, identical to “incidence.” And in well being comm, “mortality” normally means loss of life fee — the variety of deaths in a selected group of individuals in a selected time-frame.

These phrases are proper at house in, say, a weekly CDC report for professionals, however they don’t belong in plain language well being supplies. And that’s okay! Because they’re each tremendous straightforward to swap out — and even skip altogether.

Instead of:

• The COVID-19 mortality fee is highest amongst adults ages 85 and older.
• Cigarette smoking is a typical reason for morbidity within the United States.
• Vaccines will scale back morbidity and mortality from COVID-19.

Try:

• Adults ages 85 and older are most probably to die from COVID-19.
• Cigarette smoking is a typical reason for illness within the United States.
• People who’re vaccinated can be much less more likely to get sick with COVID-19 — and fewer more likely to die in the event that they do get sick.

See? Simple!

The backside line: In plain language well being supplies, skip “morbidity” and “mortality.” (If you’re as much as your elbows in your public well being grasp’s thesis, knock your self out.)

Tweet about it: “Morbidity” and “mortality” don’t have a place at the #PlainLanguage table, says @CommunicateHlth. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ibTUKC #HealthLit