It’s Greek to Me: Why Patient Portals Must Speak Plainly

MedPage Today October 28, 2025
Sarah Ailey, PhD, APHN, and Holly Brown, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC

Clear language fosters engagement and equity

I (Ailey) was in a Greek restaurant and accidentally picked up a menu written in Greek, a language I don’t know. I couldn’t interpret the menu.

Not much later, I was trying to read a MyChart report on my son who has intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The report might as well have been in Greek. It made me feel confused and lost in a place where I didn’t know the language — despite holding a PhD in nursing science.

Fortunately, my training helped me search online for definitions and piece the information in the report together. I am fortunate that I can understand health information at that level — it allows me better...

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