Correction to: Do Words Matter? Stigmatizing Language and the Transmission of Bias in the Medical Record

Words Matter: Putting an End to “Unsafe” and “Risky” Sex

“…Language that is used in research and health care can reflect broader societal biases and be perceived as judgmental by patients and community members. Use of stigmatizing language is associated with transmission of bias, 21 which is in turn associated with reduced health care access and quality. 22 To minimize bias and improve care, there has been a move to replace morally laden terminology with morally neutral terminology across various health conditions (e.g., diabetes, 23 obesity 24 ) and patient populations (e.g., sexual and gender minority populations, 25 people who are incarcerated 26 ).…”

Cryptococcal Antigen Screening and Missed Opportunities for Earlier Diagnosis Among People With HIV and Poor Virologic Control in the Bronx, NY

“…Missed or delayed diagnosis due to cognitive errors such as cognitive overload or overconfidence bias of the provider 34 have been reported in non–HIV-associated cryptococcosis 35 , 36 and other infectious diseases. 37 , 38 Such bias may be applicable to CrAg screening when the providers’ long-term familiarity with the patient or the label of “noncompliant patient” 39 results in failure to consider screening, whereas those biases may be less salient when providers are seeing patients recently diagnosed with HIV. Time constraints and other pressing health and social priorities may deprioritize screening procedures when a more explicit algorithm-based approach may help.…”

A Patient-Centered Approach to Writing Ambulatory Visit Notes in the Cures Act Era

“…Stigmatizing language in the medical record can be particularly offensive to patients and may bias other clinicians or even change prescribing behaviors. 39,56,57 Clinicians can avoid language that casts doubt on the patient (replacing "He claims" or "He denies" with "He says"), or that may be perceived as stereotypical (replacing "She is hysterical" with "She is worried"). Extraneous details, quotes of poor grammar, or emphasis on a person's socioeconomic status should be avoided if irrelevant to care.…”