Language and care

Historically, healthcare has been littered with out-of-date language which sets health professionals up to deliver less than optimal care. Paternalistic terms such as ‘date of confinement’ (date a pregnant woman should be contained to her chamber to prepare for childbirth) and hysterical (a mental disorder thought to have been related to the uterus) have now been replaced with more appropriate descriptors, such as estimated due date, and anxiety disorder. However, judgemental, biased, paternalistic and stigmatising language still permeate contemporary healthcare.