Table 1. Number of Uses of Stigmatizing Words and Phrases in the Hospital Admission Note.
| Stigmatizing language | Times each word or phrase appeared in admission notes, No. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full sample (N = 48 651) | Diabetes (N = 8738) | Substance use disorder (N = 6197) | Chronic pain (N = 5176) | |
| Note with any stigmatizing language, No. (%) | 1197 (2.5) | 599 (6.9) | 209 (3.4) | 37 (0.7) |
| Abusea | 5768 | NA | 3478 | NA |
| Abuser | 22 | NA | 11 | NA |
| Abuses | 3 | NA | 2 | NA |
| Abusing | 22 | NA | 12 | NA |
| Addict | 13 | NA | 10 | NA |
| Addicted | 18 | NA | 11 | NA |
| Adherence | 939 | 436 | NA | NA |
| Adherent | 707 | 183 | NA | NA |
| Alcohol abuse | 1963 | NA | 1112 | NA |
| Argumentative | 6 | NA | 1 | NA |
| Been clean | 27 | NA | 18 | NA |
| Belligerent | 8 | NA | 6 | NA |
| Cheat | 5 | 2 | NA | NA |
| Cheating | 7 | 1 | NA | NA |
| Cheats | 4 | 3 | NA | NA |
| Combative | 145 | NA | NA | NA |
| Compliance | 1460 | 608 | NA | NA |
| Compliant | 966 | 354 | NA | NA |
| Control | 14 634 | 3946 | NA | NA |
| Controlled | 16 153 | 5257 | NA | NA |
| Controls | 737 | 203 | NA | NA |
| Degenerate | 2 | NA | 0 | NA |
| Depraved | 0 | NA | 0 | NA |
| Difficult patient | 16 | 1 | NA | NA |
| Drug problem | 2 | NA | 2 | 1 |
| Drug seeking | 26 | NA | NA | 24 |
| Fail | 91 | 28 | NA | NA |
| Failed | 2847 | 600 | NA | NA |
| Fails | 263 | 74 | NA | NA |
| Failure | 25 899 | 8739 | NA | NA |
| Fake | 4 | NA | NA | 0 |
| Faking | 0 | NA | NA | 0 |
| Habit | 257 | NA | 77 | NA |
| In denial | 7 | 3 | NA | NA |
| Junkie | 0 | NA | 0 | NA |
| Lifestyle disease | 0 | 0 | NA | NA |
| Malinger | 0 | NA | NA | 0 |
| Malingerer | 1 | NA | NA | 0 |
| Malingering | 8 | NA | NA | 7 |
| Malingers | 1 | NA | NA | 0 |
| Narcotic | 660 | NA | 205 | 221 |
| Narcotics | 933 | NA | 290 | 295 |
| Nonadherence | 562 | 299 | NA | NA |
| Nonadherent | 98 | 27 | NA | NA |
| Noncompliance | 488 | 144 | NA | NA |
| Noncompliant | 147 | 104 | NA | NA |
| Pill problem | 0 | NA | NA | NA |
| Pill seeking | 0 | NA | NA | NA |
| Pot head | 0 | NA | 0 | NA |
| Refuse | 68 | 15 | NA | NA |
| Refused | 1293 | 389 | NA | NA |
| Refuses | 290 | 91 | NA | NA |
| Secondary gain | 15 | NA | NA | 11 |
| Speedball | 0 | NA | 0 | NA |
| Strung out | 0 | NA | 0 | NA |
| Substance abuse | 1080 | NA | 787 | NA |
| Uncontrolled | 890 | 416 | NA | NA |
| Unmotivated | 2 | NA | NA | NA |
| Unwilling | 78 | 21 | 1 | NA |
| User | 1678 | NA | 531 | NA |
Abbreviation: NA, not applicable.
a
Excluding substance abuse (which is tabulated separately).