References

Allen J. Human factors, cognitive bias and the paramedic. J Para Pract. 2019; 11:(1)8-14 https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2019.11.1.8

Fernández L, Fossa A, Dong Z Words Matter: What Do Patients Find Judgmental or Offensive in Outpatient Notes?. J Gen Intern Med. 2021; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06432-7

Goddu AP, O'Conor KJ, Lanzkron S Do words matter? Stigmatizing language and the transmission of bias in the medical record. J Gen Intern Med. 2018; 33:(5)685-691 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4289-2

Studnek JR, Artho MR, Garner CL, Jones AE. The impact of emergency medical services on the ED care of severe sepsis. Am J Emerg Med. 2012; 30:(1)51-56 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2010.09.015

Language and care

02 June 2021
Volume 11 · Issue 2

Historically, healthcare has been littered with out-of-date language which sets health professionals up to deliver less than optimal care. Paternalistic terms such as ‘date of confinement’ (date a pregnant woman should be contained to her chamber to prepare for childbirth) and hysterical (a mental disorder thought to have been related to the uterus) have now been replaced with more appropriate descriptors, such as estimated due date, and anxiety disorder. However, judgemental, biased, paternalistic and stigmatising language still permeate contemporary healthcare.

We now know that health professionals' language can influence patient care. When a paramedic documents sepsis as the primary impression, the patient is administered antibiotics significantly earlier than when sepsis is not mentioned (Studnek et al, 2012). Our language can also set up biases which can negatively impact patient outcomes and has been proven to alter clinicians' attitudes and decisions (Goddu et al, 2018). Patients are also increasingly accessing their medical records and research demonstrates that patients often find clinicians' language in their medical notes to cause offence, reducing their trust in the healthcare system (Fernández et al, 2021).

Subscribe to get full access to International Paramedic Practice

Thank you for visiting International Paramedic Practice and reading our archive of expert clinical content. If you would like to read more from the only journal dedicated to those working in emergency care, you can start your subscription today for just £48.

What's included

  • CPD Focus

  • Develop your career

  • Stay informed