"Client" rather than "patient"

An important aspect in the practice of occupational therapy is using our words mindfully. There are many things that need to be phrased in a specific manner in order to avoid offending, upsetting, and discouraging the people we are working with. A common word that we need to be aware of is "patient".

When I first began the occupational therapy program, my initial thought was to call the people we work with patient, since they are receiving treatment. This is wrong, unless the therapist is specifically working in a hospital setting. If a client is in the hospital, they are a patient, but if they are working in any other setting, this is typically wrong. Patient is not only the incorrect term to use, but it could be upsetting for the client.

For example, if a client was involved in a car crash that left them paralyzed, they would be working on many aspects of recovery in order to become adjusted to their newfound life. One of the most important aspects of recovery in this situation would be understanding that they can still live a meaningful life. Many people when faced with paralysis face depression and fall into a mindset of inability to ever regain the life they once had. If their therapist refers to them as a patient, this may make them become stuck in a mindset that they are nothing more than their disability. As occupational therapist, our goal is ensure the client learns to live a normal life while working with the disability, not simply be a person who is paralyzed. Therefore client is a more appropriate word to use in order to ensure they do not feel discouraged.

Another important reason to use client is because it is a universal term. It can mean one person, a family, a group of people, or a entire company. Occupational therapist work with a wide range of people, therefore becoming adjusted to using the word client helps us continue to be correct in all aspects of our language.

We want to be as encouraging as possible for our clients. Our language is one major way to do this!

Comments

  1. Dr. LancasterMay 17, 2017 at 11:12 AM

    Great post - very important points for an OT to consider!

    ReplyDelete

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