What is patient-first language (AKA person-first)?

• A. Focuses on the medical diagnosis rather than the patient.
• B. Uses the patient's condition name as the primary identifier.
• C. Prioritizes clinical terminology over patient experience.
• D. Emphasizes the person before the condition, e.g., a person with a stroke vs a stroke patient.

Answer: (D)

Patient-first language centers on treating the person as more than their medical condition. It means talking about and thinking of someone in terms of who they are first, not defined by their illness. In practice, you’d say “a person with a stroke” rather than “a stroke patient.” This wording keeps the individual’s identity and experience at the forefront, reducing labeling and stigma and helping build respectful, collaborative care in physical therapy. The other approaches described would place the diagnosis or clinical label before the person, which can obscure the person behind the condition.