The Authors’ Own Words: Person First and Patient First: Tailoring Language to Individual Patient Needs

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Person First and Patient First: Tailoring Language to Individual Patient Needs

Jasleen Salwan, MD, MPH

Substance Abuse Vol. 40, Iss. 2, 2019

“The Commentary, Person First and Patient First: Tailoring Language to Individual Patient Needs, aims to foster dialogue on patient-centered language in addiction. Person-first language, which positions the person literally before the disease, has been shown to humanize and empower people living with addiction. Many experts have called for the exclusive use of person-first language and have argued that terms like “addict” or “alcoholic” should be removed from the provider’s lexicon. However, confusion can arise when individuals use these terms to describe themselves, or when groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous encourage members to own certain identities as a part of their healing process. It is the author’s hope that this commentary will stir conversation on the nuances of patient-centered language.“