What’s in a Name?
As an editor, I expect to pay more attention than most people do to word choice. Whether I’m talking to others or myself, composing emails, editing manuscripts, writing for print or the web, or squeezing maximum value out of my 140 characters on Twitter, I’m constantly searching for the right words.
Recently, however, it seems that everyone is debating the meaning and effect of word choice. The recent shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and murder of others in Tuscon sparked a national debate about the use of gun-related terminology and imagery in political campaigns.
In January, after baptizing a number of babies with celebrity or “frivolous” names, Pope Benedict urged parents to consider the effect of a child’s name on his or her character. Does having a biblical or Christian name make it more likely that a child will choose a righteous path?
There is also a vigorous debate underway about the effect of names and labels in healthcare. Specifically, the term “patient” in some circumstances has fallen out of favor because passivity is central to its meaning—both as noun and adjective. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the noun “patient” as “the recipient of any of various personal services; one that is acted upon.” As an adjective, it’s even worse: “bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint; manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.
I hear debate about the word “patient” in two contexts. One is a group of individuals passionately committed to preventing harm from medical errors. Nearly all of them are motivated by bad experiences or tragic outcomes. The other group actively debating terminology is a new membership organization dedicated to participatory medicine: “a movement in which networked patients shift from being mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health, and in which providers encourage and value them as full partners.”
It’s easy enough to understand why these people—inspired and courageous in their mission to transform relationships with the medical establishment—don’t like the word “patient.” Agreeing on a new name, however, is far from easy. The possibilities include nouns as well as “patient” with a modifier: consumer, client, citizen, patient activist, patient advocate, patient expert, and even just “person.”
In the end, when the debate has been thoughtful and thorough, most seem to agree that all of the alternatives, including “patient,” have their uses and are appropriate at various times. Most of us are patients and patient at some point. It’s when we feel constrained by a name or when a name sends the wrong message about us into the world that the aura of a name does seem to matter. Maybe the Pope is on to something after all.