Background: Patients often encounter linguistic barriers in their understanding of medical texts, particularly in discharge letters exchanged among healthcare
professionals.
Objectives: The primary aim of this study is to establish a comprehensive classification of these linguistic barriers.
Method: A scoping review was conducted using the bibliographic databases Pubmed and EmBase. Articles focusing on the classification of barriers hindering
layman's comprehension were included, with the exclusion of research solely reliant on readability tests.
Data extraction: A total of 137 key terms associated with barriers in the literature underwent rigorous analysis, involving exclusion, inclusion, concatenation, and
iterative rounds of discussions with experts. Comparative analysis guided the reorganization of these key terms into a new and refined classification of barriers.
Results: The outcome of this process is a novel classification comprising thirty-three newly labelled barriers categorized into four classes: Lexis, Semantics, Syntax,
and Coherence.
Conclusion: This newly developed classification serves as a foundational framework for future research endeavours focused on the automated support of patients
in comprehending complex professional medical communication