Webinar | When Is a Patient Not a Patient

This presentation was a real success at the 6th English for Healthcare conference 2024. We are happy that Ros agreed to repeat her talk, so those of you who couldn´t make it have the chance now!

“We condemn attempts to label us as ‘victims,’ a term that implies defeat, and we are only occasionally ‘patients,’ a term that implies passivity, helplessness, and dependence upon the care of others. We are ‘People with AIDS’.”

Since the 1980’s, in an attempt to remove the stigma and dehumanisation associated with HIV-AIDS, US healthcare professionals have been taught to refer to and communicate with their patients using person-first language.

In this talk, we’ll compare the experience of two different communities, considering the impact of ‘person-first language’ on certain patient groups. We’ll also look at how learners can navigate this potential terminology minefield, brainstorming strategies to successfully broach person-first usage in a manner that ensures respectful, inclusive, and supportive language choices as well as how to resolve communication breakdown when necessary.

Read a brief summary of the conference presentation here. The EALTHY members can also download Ros´s conference presentation.