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When Diagnosis Becomes Dialogue
Well-chosen words in healthcare influence healing, stigma and trust
From exam rooms to clinical notes, language shapes the patient experience in ways people underestimate. Words reassure or alienate, empower or discourage.
“I spend a lot of time talking about diabetes,” said Dr. Iris Thiele Isip Tan. “Over the years, I’ve become more conscious of the words I use. Language shapes how we think about illness, how patients feel about themselves, and how we relate to each other in the clinical encounter.”
Awareness of language came with experience, as the “Endocrine Witch” — an endocrine specialist — rose through her career to her current roles at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, the Philippine General Hospital and Manila Doctors Hospital. The constant throughout has been doctor-patient relationships.
Doctors’ Habits Shape Patient Care
“Uncontrolled. Rebellious. Stubborn. These words slip out, and they carry weight,” Tan said. “They assign blame. They reduce a person to a diagnosis. They can make someone feel like a failure when they’re actually doing their best under difficult circumstances.”
She recalled how she used to slip into scare tactics in her apprentice witch days…
