Bi-directional miscommunication between health care providers and consumers can have adverse effects on the immediate participants, as well as long-term effects on populations of providers and consumers. Miscommunications regarding rationales for treatment, for example, can have far-reaching effects on both physician and patient behavior. Miscommunication is any failure to achieve understanding between stakeholders who claim a common goal. This may take the form of omission, e.g., failure to ask questions and seek information, or more active steps such as the use of unfamiliar terms without clarification, making a false statement to achieve a stated goal, or even an unstated agenda by either party. Ongoing, bi-directional attempts to communicate can either exacerbate or ameliorate such situations.