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Doctors told to use positive language in managing pain

BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7384.301/b (Published 08 February 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:301
  1. Christopher Zinn
  1. Sydney

    New national guidelines in Australia on managing acute back and musculoskeletal pain advise GPs to use neutral and non-threatening terms to avoid frightening patients and delaying their recovery.

    Terms such as inflammation, degeneration, instability, rupture, and even arthritis should be avoided, said the draft report, as they “carry connotations of erosion, destruction and inevitable chronic pain.”

    The report, which was funded by the federal government and which sought …

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