Multicenter Survey of Hospital Clinicians’ Awareness and Use of Stigmatizing Language in Clinical Notes

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The multicenter study assessed internal medicine residents’, faculty members’, and advanced practice providers’ knowledge, experiences, and values concerning stigmatizing language in clinical notes.
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Researchers administered a cross-sectional electronic survey and knowledge test from April through September 2025 at 2 academic internal medicine departments.
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The survey instruments were developed by the study team, refined through literature review and expert review, and assessed for clarity in 6 cognitive interviews.
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Participants began with 5 knowledge-test questions that assessed recognition of 11 potentially stigmatizing terms in clinical documentation excerpts.
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The resident instrument contained 19 questions, and the faculty and advanced practice provider instrument contained 24, including additional questions about feedback on trainee documentation.

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