Join Drs. Adamson, Kelm and Winter as they discuss the effect our words can have on patient care prompted. This episode is prompted by Goddu and colleagues1, which illustrates how the words used in the medical record affect trainee perceptions about the patient and their management choices.
1 Goddu et al. 2018. Do Words Matter? Stigmatizing Language and the Transmission of Bias in the Medical Record. J Gen Intern Med 33(5):685–91
Bios:
Rosemary Adamson, MBBS
University of Washington
Rosemary Adamson, MBBS, is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Associate Program Director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program at the University of Washington and Associate Section Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System. Her academic interests include teaching and assessing learners’ skills in procedures, especially bronchoscopy, and improving healthcare provider wellness. Dr. Adamson is also Chair of the APCCMPD Medical Educator Podcast.
Diana Kelm, MD
Mayo Clinic
Diana Kelm, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Core Faculty for Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and the Associate Program Director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program. She received her medical degree from Texas A&M Health Science Center and completed residency, chief residency, and fellowship at Mayo Clinic. Her research is geared towards medical education with specific interests in procedural skills training, gender disparity, and interprofessional education.
Gretchen R. Winter, MD
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Gretchen R. Winter, MD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed a medicine-pediatrics residency at Indiana University and a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Her clinical interests are in cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and critical care medicine. Research interests include patient-physician communication, medical education, and physician wellness. Her philosophy of care is to partner with patients to improve their physical health while also building therapeutic relationships.
References and resources on this topic:
1 Goddu et al. 2018. Do Words Matter? Stigmatizing Language and the Transmission of Bias in the Medical Record. J Gen Intern Med 33(5):685–91
American Psychological Association. (2021). Inclusive language guidelines. https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/language-guidelines.pdf
Matson, Christine C. MD; Beck, Lisa A. MEd; Rajasekaran, Senthil K. MD. Using Language That Reflects Who Is the Center of Our Care. Academic Medicine 2019;94(9):1400
doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002799
