Sources & References
This page lists the primary sources, clinical frameworks, terminology standards, and references used to develop and verify HealthSpeak educational content. HealthSpeak is an educational language-learning app and does not provide diagnosis or treatment guidance.
Clinical Communication Frameworks
- SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) — Originally developed by the US Navy, adopted by healthcare systems worldwide for clinical handoff communication. SBAR is the foundation of HealthSpeak's handoff scenario training modules.
- OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) — Standard assessment format used by medical schools in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia for evaluating clinical communication competency. HealthSpeak's OSCE-style practice scenarios align with this framework.
- Calgary-Cambridge Guide — Framework for medical communication skills training used in medical education globally. Informs the patient interaction conversation structures within HealthSpeak.
Medical Terminology Standards
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary — Standard reference for medical terminology definitions and usage. Used as a baseline for vocabulary accuracy within HealthSpeak content.
- Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary — Comprehensive medical terminology reference. Cross-referenced for clinical term definitions and contextual usage.
- ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases) — WHO standard for disease terminology and classification. Used as the authoritative source for disease and condition naming conventions.
- SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine) — Used for clinical documentation terminology. Informs the terminology consistency across HealthSpeak's clinical scenario content.
Healthcare System References
- NHS England Communication Standards — Guidelines for patient communication in the UK National Health Service. Used as a reference for UK-specific clinical English terminology and phrasing within HealthSpeak.
- Joint Commission (US) — Patient safety communication standards for US healthcare facilities. Referenced for US-specific handoff communication language and safety terminology.
- Canadian Patient Safety Institute — Communication standards for Canadian healthcare settings. Referenced for Canadian clinical English conventions and patient safety language.
Medical Education References
- USMLE Communication Guidelines — Communication competency standards for US medical licensure. HealthSpeak's US-focused clinical scenarios align with USMLE communication expectations.
- PLAB Communication Standards — UK Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board standards. Referenced for UK-oriented clinical English communication requirements.
- OET (Occupational English Test) — English language proficiency test framework for healthcare professionals. Used as a benchmark for the language proficiency levels targeted by HealthSpeak content.
Pricing Data Sources
- HealthSpeak pricing: verified via Apple App Store listing (App Store ID: 6749686419). HealthSpeak is 100% free with no subscription and no ads.
- Doxa Medical English pricing: verified via official website (getdoxa.app), last checked February 2026.
- Duolingo pricing: verified via official website (duolingo.com), last checked February 2026.
All pricing data is verified against primary sources at the time of publication and updated periodically. Dates of last verification are noted alongside each claim.
Verification Policy
All factual claims, pricing data, and competitor comparisons published on the HealthSpeak website are verified against primary sources. This includes:
- Product pricing verified directly from official App Store listings and vendor websites.
- Clinical framework references cross-checked against published medical education standards.
- Terminology accuracy validated against recognized medical dictionaries and classification systems.
- Competitor feature claims verified via official product documentation and public listings.
Last comprehensive verification: February 2026.