{"id":37252,"date":"2016-08-18T14:47:08","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T13:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=37252"},"modified":"2016-08-18T15:22:30","modified_gmt":"2016-08-18T14:22:30","slug":"michael-m-millenson-girls-queers-and-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2016\/08\/18\/michael-m-millenson-girls-queers-and-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael L Millenson: Girls, queers, and patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MillensonIt\u2019s not surprising that the word “patient” makes some activists uncomfortable. The Latin root patiens<\/em> (\u201che who suffers\u201d) suggests passivity, particularly when paired with doctore<\/em> (\u201che who teaches\u201d). \u00adSmall wonder, then, that physicians have traditionally viewed patient-centeredness<\/a> as their providing “caring custody” while acting as \u201crational agents\u201d on patients’ behalf. (1)<\/p>\n

Seeking to shake up these old assumptions, we clumsily ask providers to create a person- and family-\/caregiver-centric relationship, with everyone becoming “co-producers<\/a>” of care. (2) Unfortunately, this mish-mash only muddies what should be clear. What patient or doctor, after all, would describe themselves as \u201cco-producers\u201d of chemotherapy?<\/p>\n

More importantly, the awkward terminology deflects a focus on the core of the clinician-patient relationship. Etymology notwithstanding, \u201cpatient\u201d signifies a personal connection deeply rooted in an ethical framework. At a time when those who are ill can be pigeonholed as \u201cconsumers\u201d whose lives comprise but a few bytes of Big Data, it\u2019s time to reclaim \u201cpatient\u201d and redefine<\/a> that term as representing a rich, collaborative relationship. (3)<\/p>\n

The history of two other words suggests success is possible. The first is \u201cqueer,\u201d meant to label homosexuals negatively. The gay rights movement not only turned \u201cqueer studies\u201d into an expression of pride, it also made the word more mainstream.<\/p>\n

The popular early-2000s TV show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy<\/em><\/a> was built upon a premise similar to what happens when a hospital establishes a patient and family advisory council. Apprehensive members of the dominant culture discover that someone whose counsel they never imagined seeking actually gives them highly useful advice. Both surprised and grateful, they realize the \u201cother\u201d isn\u2019t so \u201cother,\u201d after all.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s \u201cgirl,\u201d often used to infantilize women. In the early 1980s, the word was reclaimed by feminists in Cyndi Lauper\u2019s<\/a> Girls Just Want to Have Fun<\/em>, whose winking lyrics and music video were proclaimed an \u201canthem of female solidarity.\u201d(4) Three decades later, Lena Dunham deliberately titled her hit HBO series about her millennial peers, Girls<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n