Table 2. Positive Language Categories^a.

Name	Definition	Exampleb
Compliment	Explicit adjectives to describe patient positively	Mr. [Patient] is charming, pleasant, and kind. Mrs. [Patient] is a delightful female.
Approval	Highlighting patient knowledge, character, reasoning skills and self-care patient behaviors	She has a physical/mental robustness that belies her age. She remembers both recent and distant events and is enjoyable to converse with on many subjects. She struggled with quitting over the spring and summer but as of this clinic visit has quit tobacco for 1 week!! I provided much deserved praise and encouraged her to continue her trajectory.
Self-disclosure	Physician self-disclosure of their own positive emotions related to patient	I am happy to continue coordinating her care. I am also encouraged by his new spirit to improve his health.
Minimizing blame	Reports reduced patient capacity or unhealthy behaviors with patient-centered reasons that convey understanding and minimize blame	She has not been checking her morning glucose for a month because she lost her blood glucose monitor. She has not been taking iron because it makes her constipated.
Personalize	Incorporation of details about the patient as an individual or particular person	She is a song writer and also sings. She has a strong faith in God and believes that he has blessed her and continues to keep her strong in light of her progressive disease. She enjoys walking with her fiancé and her dog named Scout.
Bilateral decision making	References to the incorporation of patient preferences into the treatment plan	He does not want to add a medication so I will increase the dose. She stated that even if it was positive, she would not want further testing. She will think about this and let me know next time if she wishes to proceed.

^aNote categories are not mutually exclusive and often overlapping.

^bExamples in the table are from actual encounter notes in the study.