by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   @HeartSisters

A recent editorial in the medical journal The Lancet (coincidentally, celebrating its 200th anniversary milestone this year) revisited a subject that’s been niggling at me and many others for years: what the authors called blame-ridden language – which they describe as being “pervasive throughout medicine.”(1)

Unintentionally hurtful words tripping lightly from the lips of physicians seem to be a routine part of medical life. For example, when doctors say harmless-sounding things like “Patient claims her pain is 10/10” , it implies that the patient is lying. In the real world, we would say “She is experiencing 10/10 pain”.

Or consider the word deny:  “Patient denies having fever or chills.”  In the real world, that word also hints at this patient being untrustworthy. As one patient clearly explained to researchers in 2021: (2) “I did not DENY these things.  I said I didn’t feel them. Completely different!  Language matters.”              .
Continue reading “How blame-ridden language betrays patient-centred health care” →