The Person must ALWAYS come first in Documentation
Imagine a scenario with me for a minute. You are a teenager that has to go to a doctor's appointment. You walk into the office with your with your mom, already uneasy because the doctor's office is never a pleasant experience for anyone. Everyone looks up when you walk in and either stare boldly or look away as if embarrassed. After awkwardly waiting for a while, a nice-looking looking nurse calls your name and ushers you to a little room that looks more like a cell. "The doctor will be in with your shortly," she says. An eternity later, the doctor walks in the room and looks down at you... "hey there little man," he says. You glare at him. As if it wasn't obvious enough, he didn't have to say anything. You explain what has been going on, and your mom asks a few questions. At one point, the doctor looks at your mom and gruffly says,"It's because he's a dwarf, he's always going to have that problem." Can you imagine what you would feel like? Unfortunately, I have a dear friend who knows exactly what that feels like. He has felt the shame and the full-blown embarrassment of being labeled by a disability that only affects his height... nothing else. He is so much more than his dwarfism! Person first language matters and not using it are not only disrespectful, but it is also misrepresenting of the person themselves. Person first language describes the person first and then adds the disability as a characteristic of them, instead of just calling them their disability. This is important not only in our conversations but also should be applied to our documentation as well. It doesn't matter if your patient/client never sees the report you type up, you still must give them the respect they deserve. Our descriptions of people actually reveal the opinion and the heart of the person speaking the words and cannot only damage our opinions but also shape other's opinions as well. Be careful. See your patients as people and look for their gifts and talents! You may be surprised by what you will find.
1 comments
Sarah Caitlin, I love that you are a big advocate for person first language. I am as well! I believe it is so important to view our clients as people first, and not to focus on the injury or disability, but the whole person. I love that you want to acknowledge each person's gifts and talents. You are going to make a great OT!
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