Stigmatizing language, patient demographics, and errors in the diagnostic process.
Stigmatizing language in electronic health records (EHR) has been shown to negatively impact the quality of patient care and patient hesitancy to seek future care. This study identified that stigmatizing language (questioning of patient credibility, racial or social class stereotyping, expressions of disapproval toward patients, and descriptions of difficult patients) was more common among Black patients than Asian or white, and more common among patients with housing instability. Further work is needed to explore and mitigate these associations.