TY - JOUR T1 - Medically optimised: healthcare language and dehumanisation JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 224 LP - 224 DO - 10.3399/bjgp21X715829 VL - 71 IS - 706 AU - Judith Dawson Y1 - 2021/05/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/71/706/224.abstract N2 - ‘The patient is medically optimised’ seems to be a current catchphrase in discharge letters and case presentations by medical students. It derives from definitions used by the NHS in its reporting of delayed transfers of care from health to social care settings, and refers to the point at which the consultant in charge of the patient has decided that no further acute medical input is necessary or appropriate.1Unfortunately, the phrase appears to have been absorbed into current medical parlance, which has a history of using derogatory terms, such as ‘bed blockers’ and ‘DTOCS’ (delayed transfer of care), for those who appear to be outstaying their allotted time in an acute care facility. This newer classification appears both illogical and unfeeling. I wonder how a son would feel hearing his mother, now dysarthric and immobile after a stroke, described as ‘medically optimised’?Haque and Waytz examine in detail the reasons why clinicians and healthcare … ER -