On Oct. 28, the American Medical Association (AMA) Center for Health Equity and the Association of American Medical Colleges, led by its Center for Health Justice, have jointly released a new health equity guide to language, narrative, and concepts entitled, “Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative, and Concepts.”
The Center for Health Equity was established in 2019 by the AMA to embed and advance equity across all aspects of healthcare, including within the organization itself.
The guide is made up of three key components to guide physicians and healthcare professionals that include:
- Health equity language – helps readers recognize the limitations and consequences of some commonly used words and phrases, and offers alternatives for these words or phrases
- Why narratives matter – helps readers recognize that dominant narratives can create harm, undermining public health and the advancement of health equity
- Glossary of key terms – provides readers with an overview of key terms and concepts used in health equity discussions
In addition, AMA president Gerald E. Harmon, M.D., published a viewpoint article on Oct. 28 about the guide. “Physicians instinctively know the power of our words,” Harmon writes. “They must be clear but also precise; they must convey empathy but also understanding. Above all, our words must demonstrate our competence and our confidence when counselling our patients or their families about a difficult diagnosis. Our words matter because trust is foundational in the patient-physician relationship.”
Further, “The dominant narratives in American medicine and society reflect the values and interests of the historically more privileged socioeconomic groups—white, heterosexual, able-bodied, cisgendered, male, wealthy, English-speaking, Christian, U.S.-born.”
That said, “These narratives have been deeply rooted in value systems and ingrained in cultural practices that have given preference to the interests of society’s most powerful social groups. But they can also be wielded as a weapon to oppress others.”
Harmon comments that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact of the virus on Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other historically marginalized groups and that many health organizations are now recognizing the impact of systemic racism in medicine, and society, and have vowed to help address it.
Harmon concludes that “In recognizing the power in our words, it is our hope that this guide will stimulate conversation and understanding about language, narrative, and concepts—helping us to identify harmful phrases and terms while also providing alternatives that move us closer to racial justice and health equity. If this helps to improve the health of our patients, and our nation, it is indeed a conversation worth having.”
