Medical practitioners' knowledge of Latin

Latin terminology and abbreviations are used throughout medicine, particularly in patient notes and prescriptions. Such legal documents are an important form of communication between professionals, requiring detail and accuracy. However, doctors' understanding of Latin is poor: a community survey found pharmacists to be considerably better informed than general practitioners, particularly trainees.1 To determine the current knowledge of basic practical Latin, we conducted a survey of medical students and hospital doctors of all grades. Participants were required to give both the Latin words and English translations corresponding to 10 abbreviations in common use (Table 1). Of 120 questionnaires, 77 (64%) were returned; the response rate was particularly poor from consultants. The number of correct answers was disappointing, with only one doctor – a senior house officer – scoring more than two out of 10. No house officers (19) or medical students (33) gave any correct answers. Our results suggest an alarming situation in which doctors, whilst having insight into meaning, are not sure of exactly what they are writing on a daily basis. There are no indications that this might improve in the near future. The medical literature contains numerous examples in which misinterpretation of Latin abbreviations has resulted in prescribing errors.2 This raises serious medico-legal concerns – drug errors are the most common cause of medical mistakes, accounting for a quarter of successful negligence claims.3 The teaching of Latin in schools has declined by 75% over the past 30 years, with less than 10 000 pupils taking the subject at GCSE level in 2001.4 At the same time, access to medical education is being broadened to reflect the social, cultural and ethnic diversities of our population, encouraging those without a classical education to take up the challenge of a medical career.5 Whilst this is to be applauded, it has resulted in a cohort of professionals who continue to use abbreviations that they cannot translate. Herein lies a simple choice: either abandon such terminology in favour of English, or provide a limited education in medically relevant Latin at undergraduate level.1,2 As Latin is not only the basis of most European languages but also has widespread use across the world, we suggest that educating the next generation of doctors to understand what they are writing should be encouraged.