Study: Stigma in Medical Records Tied to Diagnostic Errors

Patients who were affected by diagnostic errors were more likely to have stigmatizing language in their medical records, according to a new analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine. The cohort study involved more than 2300 hospital admissions during which patients died or were transferred to the intensive care unit. Stigmatizing language included phrases that questioned a patient’s credibility, stereotyped them by race or social class, or implied that the patient was “difficult.” It was more common among Black patients and those with housing instability.