A new post published on the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer website has called for clinicians, researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders to use patient-sensitive language when discussing lung cancer. By paying attention to the words used to describe people with lung cancer, they hope that improvements in physician–patient–researcher communication can be made, and stigma associated with lung cancer can be reduced.
With a greater number of empowered and involved patients, it is more necessary than ever for research to pay attention to the use of patient-sensitive language. Words used to write research publications and present at conferences should be inclusive of patients and represent the reality of the people who live daily with the disease and accompanying treatments.
Terri Conneran and Ivy Elkins, IASLC
To learn about the language they recommend, read the post in full here.