… use of the first-person plural …
One of our articles in Journal Club this week is Kinsman et. al.’s “We’ll Do this Together”: The Role of the First Person Plural in Fostering Partnership in Patient-physician Relationships. (J Gen Intern Med 25(3):186-93) (NLM link)
Tulsky comments in PC-FACS … “This well designed mixed-methods study demonstrates the inadequacy of a well-worn communication approach. It also highlights language’s nuance-it matters not only what words we say but the context in which we say them. In this study, “we” statements were often used to engage patients in behavior change. However, under closer analysis, such statements frequently sounded patronizing. “We” was often used in service of the provider’s agenda, not the patient’s. In palliative care, the risk of using “we” may even be greater. Our patients experience such suffering that they may interpret providers talking in the first person plural as minimizing patient concerns. Providers may do better letting patients know “I’ll be there with you,” rather than “We’ll get through this together.” … Physicians and other healthcare providers should avoid the first person plural when talking to patients to help guarantee that their language is empowering, not patronizing.”
The author’s key conclusion … “Contrary to our hypotheses, use of first person plural was not associated with higher ratings of provider communication, probably because some of these statements were overtly persuasive, indirect, or ambiguous.”