ADULT’S CARE, LENGTH OF STAY, AND JOURNEY WITHIN THE HEALTH SYSTEM.

ic, objective, and respectful, gives care providers important clues about how to minimize responsive behaviours, resulting in better care, documentation, and outcomes.

Consider the difference between saying “uncooperative” versus “resists bath if left uncovered”. The former conjures up assumptions that the patient may be generally resistant to multiple activities for no discernable reason, while the latter offers a specific scenario where care strategies might be tested to minimize behavior (e.g., ensuring the patient is covered, considering room temperature, etc.).

The impact of language in healthcare has received a significant amount of attention worldwide in the last decade, with guidelines and resources produced by Alzheimer Society Canada, Dementia Australia, NHS England, Obesity Canada, Diabetes Canada, Diabetes Australia, American Medical Association, Mental Health Commission of Canada, and others. In 2017 the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN) published a person-centred language guideline for acute care settings that includes practical examples of how to accurately describe behaviours.

The Regional Geriatric Program (RGP) of Toronto, with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada, has been supporting the implementation of this guideline at three healthcare organizations: Trillium Health

Partners, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Unity Health Toronto. Point-of-care staff, managers, physicians, and administrators have responded positively to the concept of person-centred language:

“I wanted to write “patient is agitated” but then remembered. So, I wrote “patient is agitated-their voice increasingly louder and said “get out of here!””

“When you hear on report that the patient is very aggressive, I’m already thinking that my shift is going to be bad or I’m scared of the patient, so it’s important to know what they mean by aggressive”

The RGP of Toronto, in collaboration with the Behavioural Supports Ontario Provincial Coordinating Office, has produced a suite of educational tools with practical examples of how to use person-centred language in acute care settings including a pocket card, video reels, teaching aids, posters, huddle games, an e-course, and more. All of these resources are available for free download online. Join the movement to use person-centred language in your communication and patient documentation! ■ H

Alekhya Johnson, MPH, Mary-Lynn Peters, RN(EC), NP-Adult, MSc, Wendy Zeh, RN, and Barbara Liu, MD, FRCPC are part of the Regional Geriatric Program (RGP) of Toronto.