Let's not be careless with our language

We’re not here to get patients to comply with our plan.

Author

Dr Rosemary Morgan
June 15, 2025

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A few years back I was lucky enough to attend a course in health coaching. I was the only dentist among a whole heap of diabetes educators, nurses, dietitians and other health professionals.

One of the most important things I took away was the importance of using the correct language with patients.

These days health coaching techniques are covered in the dental curriculum which is great but I wonder if the content gets lost amongst all the other more pressing/exciting topics. 

And yet I’m pretty convinced if we all communicated better with patients  the profession and our patients would be better off.

We all talk about patient centred care and yet the next minute we are careless with our words.

Let’s not forget the impact that our language has on ourseleves.

The words we use carelessly when talking about patients with our peers, mentors, or in our notes affects the way we relate to patients face to face

As an example:

I hear the word “compliance”  used quite frequently. A child is complaint, a patient is compliant and attends the clinic regularly; they keep their appointments.

Every time I hear the word I feel there must be a better option, a word that is more collaborative. That reflects the partnership we are working on with the patient.

Compliance reflects a power inbalance rather than a partnership.

Terms like why like "adherence" or even better, "engagement", "collaboration", or "partnership" are more appropriate.

Instead of: Compliance

  • Use: Adherence
    Example: "We're working together on a plan that supports good adherence to home care."

  • Use: Engagement
    Emphasises mutual involvement: "The patient has been really engaged with the changes we've discussed."

  • Use: Participation / Involvement
    Your patient is an active agent, not a passive recipient: "He’s been actively involved in making dietary changes."

  • Use: Commitment
    Reflects internal motivation: "She made a strong commitment to floss daily."

  • Use: Partnership / Collaboration
    Reinforces shared decision-making: "We're collaborating on a strategy/treatment plan that fits her lifestyle."

Also consider changing the tone of responsibility:

Instead of: “The patient hasn’t complied with my instructions.”

Try: “We might not have found a strategy that works for them yet.”
Or: “They’ve had difficulty sticking to the plan, so we’re exploring why.”

We’re not here to get patients to comply with our plan.
We’re here to understand their goals, build trust, and support change with them.

Have a great week

Rosie

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