To the Editor,
I wanted to congratulate you for discussing such an important topic. I read your editorial with great pleasure.
Words are a reflection of the thoughts and logic of a speaker. I agree with the authors that we, as surgeons, can influence a patient’s decision regarding certain treatment methods just by the words we choose. Beyond changing our words, we should focus on teaching our residents how to approach patients with empathy. Young surgeons should learn early in their residencies that a bad result is more than a statistical figure on a computer screen. It is important for young surgeons to understand his or her patient’s point of view—especially when the patient does not want surgical treatment.
Thank you for bringing up this discussion.
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(RE: Ring DC, Dobbs MB, Gioe TJ, Manner PA, Leopold SS. Editorial: How the Words We Use Affect the Care We Deliver. Clin Orthop Relat Res. [Published online ahead of print July 25, 2016]. DOI: 10.1007/s11999-016-4993-y).
The author certifies that he, or any member of his immediate family, has no funding or commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.
All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research ® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request.
The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR ® or The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®.
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Karahan, M. Letter to the Editor: Editorial: How the Words We Use Affect the Care We Deliver. Clin Orthop Relat Res 474, 2728 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-016-5106-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-016-5106-7