Best Practices for the Use of Person-Centered and Inclusive Language in Clinical Pharmacy Practice, Education, and Research: An Opinion Paper and Call to Action From the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Health Equity Practice Research Network

Stigmatizing language is often used by health care professionals and is present in health care documentation. This negatively impacts health outcomes, including patient treatment and willingness to seek health care. To address this issue, this PRN opinion paper aims to provide recommended terminology from national organizations, medical associations, and published literature. It calls for use of inclusive language standards in: (1) pharmacy journal guidelines, (2) health care systems and pharmacy organizations, (3) clinical and professional pharmacy practice, and (4) curricula and training of colleges of pharmacy. To strengthen patient relationships and reduce barriers to health care, we recommend pharmacists make ongoing efforts to respectfully communicate with and about patients, learners, and colleagues.