Person-centred nursing care requires an understanding of how certain terms have the power to belittle, frighten, disempower, or even lead to adverse patient outcomes

When communicating information to patients, the words you choose can be as important as the message itself. A nurse’s choices of language can affect how patients view their health. Clumsy use of language can make a person feel stigmatised and distressed, which, experts argue, can lead to adverse health outcomes. And there are many ways nurses can unconsciously perpetuate unhelpful and incorrect views about various health conditions, in addition to longstanding societal stigmas, such as those around race, gender and sexuality.