To the Editor:
In the case presentation of their article “Occam's Razor for Severe B12 deficiency”
1
, Moss, et al., use the phrase “did not endorse any recent outdoor activities such as hiking”. I believe that they mean that she had not done that activity, but the word “endorse” is not the correct word to state this.I have noticed the word “endorse” misused in medical settings over the last few years. Endorse means to sign a check or to support an idea, political position or candidate, and does not have anything to do with a patient's symptoms.
When a clinician says “the patient endorses chest pain”, they are saying that the patient thinks that chest pain is a good idea, not that the patient is experiencing it.
The word “endorse” should be removed from clinical lexicon.
Reference
- Occam's Razor for Severe B12 Deficiency.AJM. 2022; 135: 844-847
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Conflicts of Interest: None.
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