If you’ve read any of my blogs you know I’m passionate about the language (words) we use in diabetes care. I’ve mostly been focused on ways health care professionals can speak in order to empower people with diabetes, but it’s important for those of us with diabetes to be aware of the words we use too.
I recently came across a list of “Common Questions Asked by People with Diabetes.” The list contains 12 questions, and here is a breakdown of the words used in these questions:
- Do I have to… (3)
- Can I… (4)
- Should I…(4)
- Do I need to… (1)
All 12 questions that people commonly ask health care providers about diabetes contain the words that people with diabetes don’t want to hear. Yet this is what we know and hear every day, so we perpetuate it, without even thinking about it.
Some other ways we can ask questions include
- What (are the recommendations for…)
- How (do I learn more about…)
- Where (is more information about…)
- Who (might help me with…)
- When (does a support group meet…)
- Why (might I be experiencing this…)
By asking questions that lead to empowering answers, we can actually empower health care providers at the same time! They won’t even know what hit them!