Which phrasing should be avoided in notes when describing a patient’s ethnicity?

• A. The Hispanic patient
• B. A patient who identifies as Hispanic
• C. The patient from a Hispanic background
• D. The patient’s self-identified race

Answer: (A)

Describing ethnicity in notes should center the patient’s self-identification and use person-first language. Labeling someone as “the Hispanic patient” reduces the person to a group attribute and can feed stereotypes or unconscious bias in care. The safer, more respectful approach is to reflect how the patient identifies: say that the patient identifies as Hispanic or that the patient reports Hispanic/Latino heritage. If you need to mention background, you can say the patient is from a Hispanic background, but avoid treating the ethnicity as the defining feature of the person. This keeps notes accurate, respectful, and focused on the individual rather than a label.