Could not agree more Alison. Your post reminded me of an article that first got my attention about this, written by William Donnelly in the Annals of Internal Medicine in the late 1990's. Dr. Donnelly specifically commented on these "language maladies" that we should all be aware of. Worth a read too!
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Alex Mechaber
Associate Vice President
National Board of Medical Examiners
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-21-2020 20:04
From: Alison Whelan
Subject: Your medical chart might be biased
Dr. Danielle Ofri presents thoughtful recommendations about how physicians can control what they write in a patient's chart. Consider: Patient "declines treatment" rather than "refuses treatment." Patient "doesn't drink alcohol" rather than "denies alcohol use." Patient "has pain" rather than "claims to be in pain."
I think this is an especially important concept to teach our students and residents. Do you agree?
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Alison Whelan
Chief Medical Education Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges
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