I would still prefer a somewhat more elaborate doc-string. A doc-string (together with the function name) should give you an idea what a function does without reading the code. It should say what goes in and what comes out. The "parmeters / returns" format is convenient for this, though not necessary for internal functions. Without reading the code, I have no idea  what this function does.

I appreciate that it might be obvious that the need for this function is obvious after working on this for some time. It is not for me. And I am worried not because I am lazy (which I am) but because someone else in the future *will* modify the code and will be likely to misunderstand it if you don't make your intent clear.