Have you ever visited the doctor’s office and had no idea what was being said? From those confusing medical forms you have to fill out to the jargon of words that your doctor says, it can no doubt be difficult to make proper decisions about your health.
However, you’re not alone when it comes to grasping healthcare language. In fact, nearly 90 million people across the country have difficulty making informed health decisions due to the large health literacy gap that looms. It’s not the issue that there isn’t enough information out there. It’s the fact that most people have trouble understanding it in the first place.
This lack of understanding can quickly lead to situations where most patients aren’t empowered to take advantage of better care or treatment options. It stands as one of the biggest barriers when it comes to clinical trial participation. Patients are often so stuck trying to understand the basics of their condition in the first place that they barely have the capacity it takes to consider research participation as a solution.
Understanding key terminology is one of the biggest hurdles that they have to overcome when exposing themselves to new treatment options. After all, the newer a medical option seems, the more risk-averse anyone would be in trying it out. It’s the necessity of key terminology that can empower patients to make more informed decisions about clinical trial participation.
In hopes of bridging the large health literacy gap that currently exists, we here at Coastal have developed a small list of some of the most important terminology you should know. By familiarizing yourself with these terms, you’ll be able to navigate the healthcare space with more confidence in the treatment options you pursue.
Population Health
This term is about the general health of a specific group of individuals at any scale, from community level to national level. It allows healthcare professionals to better assess the specific concerns and needs of a specific group.
Healthcare Ecosystem
The network that connects all stakeholders of the healthcare process together, from patients and physicians to pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations.
CRAACO
This term is an acronym that stands for Clinical Research as A Care Option. It’s one of the treatment options that you can pursue as a patient along your healthcare journey.
Value-Based Healthcare
Rather than paying your physician for the services they provide, a value-based healthcare system ensures that you pay based on your patient health outcomes. It can help reduce healthcare costs across the board.
Informed Consent
Before you undergo any clinical trial, you’ll first have to provide informed consent. This means that you’ll consent to the study only after you learn about its full purpose, benefits, and risks. Here at Coastal, we’ll make sure you’ll be fully informed so that you can feel confident about agreeing to any clinical study.
Clinical Research Site
The physical location where your clinical study will take place.
Principal Investigator
The doctor or researcher who is responsible for carrying out the clinical study.
Clinical Trial Navigator
These people work to increase clinical research participation while reducing the number of administrative burdens and inefficiencies that usually slow down most trials.
Integrated Research Organization
This term focuses on a clinical research delivery model that puts the patient at the very center and optimizes its processes around the patient. It integrates key stakeholders, clinical trials, and increases value into one efficient model.
