By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    learn to recognize and treat yeast infections
    Most Commonly Asked Questions About Yeast Infections
    November 17, 2021
    Advanced lung cancer diagnosis systems used by doctors
    Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis Systems Used by Doctors
    March 6, 2022
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    June 13, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Life Expectancies and Lethal Injections
    May 6, 2015
    The Future of Healthcare and Big Pharma is in Big Data Analytics
    February 5, 2021
    Financial Assistance for Clinical Trials
    September 16, 2015
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Patient Failed His Therapy, or Vice Versa?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Education > Patient Failed His Therapy, or Vice Versa?
Medical EducationSpecialties

Patient Failed His Therapy, or Vice Versa?

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
2 Min Read
SHARE
Doctor-patient communication

Who failed?

Doctor-patient communication

Who failed?

The other day I heard a physician use a phrase I really don’t like. “The patient failed his therapy,” he said. Although I don’t want to be too picky about wording, I find that formulation to be quite disempowering and depressing for the patient.

Imagine a sick patient who tries a promising drug with the hopes of improving or being cured. It’s bad enough when a drug doesn’t work, but if the patient is made to think he’s failed as well that doesn’t seem very constructive. It would be more accurate and less threatening to say that the therapy failed the patient.

Going a step further, it might also be accurate to say “the physician failed the patient,” but I don’t think doctors would want to think of it that way!

Misattribution of blame is not unique to the heallthcare industry. Another example is provided by airlines, who are eager to avoid being faulted when they screw up. In recent years I’ve started to hear airline employees say, “the flight has cancelled,” making it sound somehow like the plane itself decided not to fly. A more accurate statement would be, “the airline canceled the flight.” Now they may have had their reasons, like bad weather, but even the most modern planes don’t cancel their own flights.

But back to healthcare, I hope physicians and other healthcare professionals will be more conscious of how the language they use affects how patients feel about themselves. It doesn’t mean walking on egg shells; instead it means trying to be empathetic, and soliciting constructive feedback from other members of the care team and patients and families themselves.

I don’t mean to make too big a deal of this. In fact, most physicians don’t use this “failure” terminology these days and I’m glad they don’t. 

photo credit: LifeSupercharger via photopin cc

TAGGED:doctor-patient communication
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Teenage Cancer Survivor Perseveres by Blogging

March 14, 2011
genetic therapy for leukemia
Medical InnovationsSpecialtiesTechnology

Is Genetic Therapy the Future for Treating Leukemia and Other Blood Disorders?

December 12, 2013
mature skin
SkinSpecialties

7 Care Tips for Mature Skin

October 10, 2022
immune system boosting tips during the pandemic
Covid-19Specialties

How Does The Coronavirus Test Work?

March 24, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?