Commentary: Leave well alone

摘要

To paraphrase Viscount Falkland's well known maxim, if it is not necessary to change something, it is necessary not to change it Change takes time, effort, and resources.. So if we are to replace the ubiquitous term "patient" with something else, we must be sure that it is necessary to do so. More specifically, we should be confident that: 1. The word has undesirable connotations which have a bad influence on doctors' attitudes to the people who come to them for help and advice 2. There is an alternative word that would serve the denotative function of patient without carrying its putative adverse connotations 3. The change in terminology would bring about an improvement in attitudes. My case for retaining the term patient is based on my belief that none of the above points holds.