When we document end-of-life care, words still matter

In the September, 2018 edition of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, the study "Language used by health care professionals to describe dying at an acute care hospital" focused on specific word choices when documenting about end-of-life care. (1) They accurately note that, in acute care settings, the patient's medical record often becomes the primary mechanism for communication between providers. Imprecise documentation can lead to poor transfer of knowledge and even implicit bias. (2) Wentlandt et al describe the "implied state" category as most frequently used by non-palliative care providers, which labels patients by the care they receive (e.g.

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