June 2025

Language provides a foundation for human progress. Having a common language enables us to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate our efforts in able us to achieve more together than any of us could possibly achieve on our own. It allows us to organize our thoughts and solve problems collectively.

It’s when we’re not speaking the same language, or we have a different understanding of the terminology being used, that chaos ensues. Take NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter (aka Mars Surveyor ’98 Orbiter), for example. Launched on December 11, 1998, the spacecraft was lost because NASA used the International System of Units (metric), while the company that built the spacecraft, Lockheed Martin, used the United States customary units (imperial). That simple miscommunication caused the Mars Climate Orbiter to enter the Martian atmosphere on September 23, 1999, at the wrong angle and disintegrate.

As practitioners of wilderness medicine, outdoor educators and others can learn valuable lessons from that story. After all, successful treatment outcomes often require close communication, collaboration, and coordination among treatment providers. Having a different understanding of the same terminology can result in serious negative consequences. This is especially true in life-threatening situations where the space between life and death can be as narrow as a razor’s edge. In these situations, using a common language can save lives.

In this post, we explore wilderness medicine terminology that’s a common source of misunderstandings. By increasing your awareness of how these terms are often used and understood, you can ensure that you and other members of the treatment team are communicating clearly and precisely.

Recognizing Terms That Can Be a Source of Confusion

Communication is so important that EMT textbooks often include an entire chapter or appendix on medical terminology. These terms and their definitions ensure clarity on everything from (more…)