For people with complex chronic diseases such as long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and dysautonomia, a clinician’s inadvertently hurtful language can compound suffering and derail effective communication.
To address this, Svetlana Blitshteyn, MD, a neurologist who is the director of Dysautonomia Clinic at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Buffalo, and Nancy J. Smyth, PhD, professor and former dean at the School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, both in Buffalo, New York, co-authored a paper entitled Language Matters: What Not to Say to Patients with Long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Other Complex Chronic Disorders. In it, they provided a table of 16 “never words” that clinicians should avoid saying to patients, explanations of why the phrases are problematic, and proposed alternatives for more effective and empathetic communication.
Blitshteyn spoke with Medscape Medical News about the paper. The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Medscape: What was the impetus for writing this paper?
Blitshteyn: The topic of physician-patient relationship and communication strategies to ensure therapeutic relationship is something I thought about writing for a long time, but never got around to it until Smyth contacted me to collaborate on a joint project. She has years of experience with patient engagement, teaching patients how to communicate about invisible illnesses, and helping people with long COVID to communicate and advocate with healthcare professionals and employers. That seemed like a perfect collaboration considering my many years of experience as a neurologist working with patients with complex chronic disorders, such as dysautonomia, ME/CFS, and long COVID.
Who is the target audience for the paper?
Physicians of all specialties and other healthcare practitioners, such as psychologists, physical therapists, social workers, nutritionists, and others.
