Access to treatment with controlled medicines rationale and recommendations for neutral, precise, and respectful language.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_A5B4AB6FFF3D
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Publication sub-type
Review (review): journal as complete as possible of one specific subject, written based on exhaustive analyses from published work.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Access to treatment with controlled medicines rationale and recommendations for neutral, precise, and respectful language.
Journal
Public health
Author(s)
Scholten W., Simon O., Maremmani I., Wells C., Kelly J.F., Hämmig R., Radbruch L.
ISSN
1476-5616 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0033-3506
Publication state
Published
Issued date
12/2017
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
153
Pages
147-153
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Review
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
The European Pain Federation EFIC, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, International Doctors for Healthier Drug Policies, the Swiss Romandy College for Addiction Medicine, the Swiss Society of Addiction Medicine, and the World Federation for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence called on medical journals to ensure that authors always use terminology that is neutral, precise, and respectful in relation to the use of psychoactive substances. It has been shown that language can propagate stigma, and that stigma can prevent people from seeking help and influence the effectiveness of social and public-health policies. The focus of using appropriate terminology should extend to all patients who need controlled medicines, avoiding negative wording. A narrow focus on a few terms and medical communication only should be avoided. The appropriateness of terms is not absolute and indeed varies between cultures and regions and over time. For this reason, it is important that communities establish their own consensus of what is 'neutral', 'precise', and 'respectful'. We identified twenty-three problematic terms (most of them we suggest avoiding) and their possible alternatives. The use of appropriate language improves scientific quality of articles and increases chances that patients will receive the best treatment and that government policies on psychoactive substance policies will be rational.

Keywords
Opioids, Pain, Patient access, Publication policy, Stigma, Substance use disorder, Terminology
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
02/11/2017 13:39
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:10
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