“Everything is going to be okay.”
No doubt you or someone you know has heard those words from a doctor, but doctors are now being warned to stop doing so because it could raise false hope.
A new report has identified 12 “never phrases” that doctors should never use with patients with serious illnesses, such as heart failure, cancer and lung disease.
They explain that these “isolated words or phrases not only lack benefits but can also cause emotional harm and accentuate power differences.”
If a patient is seriously ill, for example, a doctor should never mention the words “withdraw care,” as this implies that the medical team is “giving up.”
While “everything will be okay” may seem like a comforting phrase, researchers say this could offer false hope when dealing with a serious illness and a better expression might be “I’m here to support you through this whole process.” ‘
This means that no promises are made and the outcome is left undetermined. Likewise, the study’s authors saying something like “let’s fight this together” could “imply that sheer will can overcome the disease.”
But the study comes amid growing concerns about the “wokification” of medicine, where doctors are too scared to be frank with patients.
As part of an in-depth study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, four researchers analyzed the “words never” and “what not to say to patients with serious illnesses” (file image)
The new report, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, was carried out by four researchers: three with medical training and one with experience as a critically ill patient.
Drawing on their own experience in the medical field and speaking with 20 outside physicians, the team identified 12 “never words” and phrases that should not be used during end-of-life care.
First on your suggested list of “never words or phrases” is the blunt expression: “there’s nothing else we can do.”
Instead, they suggest a softer approach to the situation, and the suggested dialogue is: “Therapy life”. life.’
Explaining their reasoning, the researchers state: “Even without prospects for a cure, the doctor can still convey his ability to treat the patient to the best of his ability.”
Next, experts say that telling friends and family that a patient “won’t get better” is a complete no-no.
Instead, they suggest the phrase “I am worried that
Instead, the article states that an alternative comment to family or friends could be: “We can focus on your comfort instead of persisting with the current treatment, which is not working.”
Researchers were surprised to find slang appearing among medical staff and say that “circling the drain,” in regards to quickly determining a patient and their possible death, should never be used as a phrase.
Instead, they say doctors should take a more considered approach and tell those closest to the patient, “I’m worried that X is dying.”
For this reason, “fight” and “battle” are listed as prohibited words, since “patients may feel that they are letting their family down if they do not recover.”
A doctor might ask a patient’s family “what X would want” if the sick person could no longer communicate.
But researchers point out that “want” is often an ill-defined word in a hospital setting, and what families assume the patient would want may be impossible.
Instead, they suggest using “think” as an alternative way to address a patient’s needs, asking family and friends something like, “If you could hear all of this, what would you think?”
Some patients may wait a long time before finally addressing their illness and seeking medical help, but researchers say the last thing doctors should do is “blame” a patient and cause further concern.
So instead of telling a patient, “I don’t know why you waited so long to come in,” a kinder way to express this frustration would be, “I’m glad you came when you did.”
Similarly, researchers say that if a new patient visits a doctor with poor results from another doctor, the last thing the doctor should say is “what were your other doctors doing/thinking?”
They explain that this is a negative approach and that it is better to “focus on what is still possible.”
They recommend: “Take positive action, rather than slander professionals whose cooperation you may still need to move the patient forward.”
Meanwhile, the study authors say that asking a critically ill patient “do you want us to do everything?” it is not useful.
They say that instead of “using a leading question that may not align with the patient’s values or goals,” it is better to invite dialogue.
The suggested expression for doctors to use is: “We discuss the options available if the situation worsens.”
After presenting their 12 never words and phrases, the researchers conclude: ‘Never words interrupt the conversation.
‘They disempower the very patients whose own voices are essential to making optimal decisions about their healthcare.
‘Instead, doctors should try to dialogue, inviting patients and their families to ask honest and thoughtful questions and answers.
‘They must learn to recognize words and phrases that unintentionally scare, offend or diminish agency and work to reimagine their own communication.
“The beneficial outcome: giving power back to patients so they can actively collaborate with their care team to make the best possible decisions about treatment and care, which is what all physicians aim to achieve.”
Last year, Gallup revealed that the share of Americans who rated doctors’ ethical standards highly had fallen from 77 percent at the start of the pandemic in 2020 to 62 percent at the end of 2022, an unusually steep 15-point drop in two years.