The politics of phraseology

I was sorry to see another example of an innocent phrase being subjected to political analysis and thought of as suspicious of unacceptable medical professional attitudes. Of course ‘managing patients’1 can be interpreted as doctors acting patronisingly, but almost any form of words can be so misjudged if the reader wishes to see inherent political bias therein. Perhaps ‘managing the illnesses of patients in a democratic partnership style’ would grate less in today's highly charged correctness climate, but what a portentous phrase. How many more well motivated descriptions must be changed before patient liaison groups are satisfied that doctors are actually trying to help patients rather than to exert power over them?

• © British Journal of General Practice, 2005.