Nomenclature

I want to be very, very blunt with the word renal here: there is very little role for "renal" when our patients can comprehend the word "kidney" much better. Forget the false sense of professionalism endowed by speaking the jargon.

This is a tall order, but it's not impossible. "Renal" is a Latin word which has permeated our medical language usage. We've all been getting used to terms like "hepatorenal syndrome". As mentioned in a recent letter to editor of The Lancet, we aren't enforcing Orwellian-style medical vocabulary control of scientific communication. We are asking ourselves to change "renal patients" to "patients with kidney disease" or "renal failure" to "kidney failure" in our Instagram, Twitter, or daily communication with lay people.

In other words, say kidney when its meaning is equal to renal. What matters is what our patient can comprehend.

Drop the word "renal" please.

Ladies and gentlemen, if not now, when? If not us, who?