Importance Stigmatizing language in the electronic health record (EHR) may alter treatment
plans, transmit biases between clinicians, and alienate patients. However, neither the
frequency of stigmatizing language in hospital notes, nor whether clinicians
disproportionately use it in describing patients in particular demographic subgroups are
known. Objective To examine the prevalence of stigmatizing language in hospital admission
notes and the patient and clinician characteristics associated with the use of such language …