
Speakers: Heather Bradford and Amy Goh
Facilitator: Adetoro Adegoke
The provision of safe and respectful sexual and reproductive care is a basic human right and a core value of reproductive justice. A provider’s choice of words, and how the words are delivered, lays the foundation of the patient-provider encounter. Most importantly, intentionality in choosing respectful and inclusive language can positively influence whether patients feel seen and valued as human beings. Written documentation, and how patients are described in electronic health records, including historically stigmatized words, can perpetuate racial disparities in healthcare delivery. In an effort to advance health equity and improve sexual and reproductive healthcare quality, an extensive literature review of peer-reviewed publications in PubMed, current textbooks, and national guidelines on recommended sexual and reproductive healthcare language was conducted in 2024.
This presentation has 3 objectives:
(1) describe the harms and opportunities in language in written and spoken form, including the electronic health record, provider-to-provider communication, and patient-provider communication
(2) provide a review of female anatomy and procedures as gendered nomenclature and;
(3) review the harms of stigmatizing language and current recommendations for patient-centered and inclusive language in sexual and reproductive healthcare settings and scholarly writing using sample reproductive healthcare vignettes.
Learners will be able to revise a written vignette so that it is patient-centered and uses person-first, anti-oppressive language.

