Conscious Language throughout our site
Conscious Language is the deliberate use of words and terms to generate material that is empathic, inclusive, and non-stigmatizing. We carefully consider how we word and frame health-related topics to avoid perpetuating bias that contributes to health inequity and stigma.
Conscious Language isn’t about being politically correct or controlling what individuals can say. Conscious Language, on the other hand, is about broadening representation and being deliberate with our words, always with the purpose of assisting you in improving your health and wellbeing.
We’re here to motivate you to live your healthiest life possible, and we understand that the words we use have an impact on your health. We can be more inclusive and compassionate if we use sympathetic language. We run the risk of misrepresenting individuals, stigmatising conditions, and demeaning those who live with them if we don’t choose our words carefully. As a result, we employ Conscious Language to verify that our content is accurate in terms of language and framing.
We want to be right there with you, every step of the way, no matter who you are, on your road to health and well-being. And we’re demonstrating how we do it to the rest of the globe in the hopes of uniting against stereotypes, discrimination, and bad health narratives.
Our material addresses the requirements of all our readers because we have a deep awareness of our audience’s lived experiences and are thoughtful in our language, phrasing, and framing.
We can be more relevant, sympathetic, and inclusive when we can speak directly to your lived experience, which allows us to deliver more individually actionable knowledge to build a stronger, healthier society.
When we discuss health issues at Pure Medical, we employ Person-First Language, Identity-First Language, and Empathy-First Language. Person-first Language is our standard, although we recognise and appreciate that certain groups prefer Identity-first Language.
Furthermore, we believe that Empathy-first Language extends beyond Person-first or Identity-first Language to include the phrasing and framing of health-related themes in a way that fosters empathy, avoids stigma, and avoids bias.
Person-first Language
Person-first Language places the individual ahead of the illness, emphasising that a person’s health does not define them. It’s a possession, not a person’s identity.
Consider the following scenario:
Insomniacs may benefit from these foods.
We say: Using Person-First Language:
These foods may be good for those who suffer from insomnia.
Identity-first Language
We also utilise Identity-first Language, which recognises that some conditions are inextricably linked to a person’s identity and cannot be separated. When the community has made it apparent that this is the language they prefer, we employ Identity-first Language.
Consider the following scenario:
Assistive technologies can be used by people who are Blind.
We say: Using Identity-first Language:
A blind person can make use of assistive technology.
Empathy-first Language
We employ Empathy-first Language, which promotes empathy, avoids stigma, and does not encourage bias, in addition to Person-first Language and Identity-first Language.
Consider the following scenario:
Alongside Person-first Language and Identity-first Language, we use Empathy-first Language that promotes empathy, avoids stigma, and does not promote bias.
For example:
They were infected with HIV.
We say: Using Empathy-First Language:
They contracted HIV.
By replacing “infected” with “contracted,” the negative connotation that may stigmatise HIV-positive people is removed.
Here’s another scenario:
Being African American increases your chances of having a stroke.
Instead, we say:
Strokes occur at a higher rate among African Americans. Social and environmental factors, as well as healthcare disparities, maybe to responsible.
Last but not least, about Conscious Language.
We want to be right there with you, every step of the way, no matter who you are, on your road to better health and well-being.
Conscious Language is all about broadening representation and being deliberate with our language, with the objective of assisting you in improving your health. We employ Conscious Language at Pure Medical to guarantee that we are using framing and wording that is most likely to convey actionable information.
Person-first Language acknowledges that a condition is not who a person is by seeing the person before the condition. It’s a possession, not a person’s identity. When the community has made it apparent that this is the language they prefer, we employ Identity-first Language. We employ Empathy-First Language, which encourages empathy while avoiding stigma and bias.
Finally, we recognise that Conscious Language is always changing. We are dedicated to actively listening to our communities, readers, and health advocates in order to improve and update our language usage.
Learn more about Pure Medical’s content integrity approach, including our high requirements for medical accuracy and editorial quality.