Writing Notes, Thinking About People

In 2021, a research group led by Jenny Park published a qualitative study of 600 medical encounter notes written by 138 physicians.2 The researchers found some language that conveyed positive regard, was clearly informative, and effective, while also discovering at least 5 ways in which doctors expressed negative feelings toward their patients. Their paper highlights phrases that convey incredulity (“he claims that nicotine patches don’t work for him”), disapproval, stereotyping, and the extent to which providers find patients difficult. They also note diction that emphasizes physician authority and unilateral opposed to shared decision making (“She was told to discontinue…” or “I have instructed him to…”). In their paper, Park’s group cautions that, although in and of itself, positive or negative language may not be harmful in the care of individuals, at least 1 study has shown that where dismissive language is used, physicians are less likely to adhere to appropriate guidelines.3