Title: Stigma and Healthcare: The Power of Language

Authors: Melissa Chen, Maya Strange, Chelsea Cooper, Ayomide Adetayo, Sacha Agrawal, Rachel Cooper, Heather Bradford

This video examines how language used in clinical communication and documentation can perpetuate stigma, reinforce bias, and influence the quality of healthcare patients receive. A clinical vignette illustrates how commonly used terms and documentation practices—such as labeling patients as “noncompliant,” “med-seeking,” or “frequent fliers,” questioning patients’ credibility—can cast blame, reinforce stereotypes, and obscure structural barriers affecting health and healthcare access. The video introduces a patient-centered approach to clinical language, including the use of person-first language, describing clinical conditions rather than judging patient character, avoiding language that assigns blame or reinforces stereotypes, and contextualizing health behaviors within relevant social and structural barriers. Ultimately, clinicians and healthcare institutions are encouraged to critically examine routine documentation practices and adopt standards that support respectful, inclusive, and patient-centered communication.