Health Equity in Pediatrics: Say My Name Correctly (S9 Ep. 61)

The fourth episode in our Health Equity in Pediatrics series highlights one of the simplest individual actions a provider can take to be an ally in health equity: Say your patients’ names correctly.  Saying a person’s name correctly validates their identity, family, culture, and heritage.  Whether the name is difficult to pronounce or varies from the name given at birth, providers can use simple tools to correctly pronounce names and address their patients in a way that honors both the patient and their caregivers.  Together we can answer William Shakespeare’s question, “What’s in a name?” with a lens of health equity.

Want to make a bigger difference in health equity? Complete an anonymous survey here after you listen to the episode or visit www.thepedsnp.com and click the “Complete a Survey” button at the top of the page. The responses will provide greater insight into how podcasts impact education and behavior through microlearning of health equity concepts. After you complete a survey, you’ll receive a separate link to enter your email to a raffle for a $15 Amazon gift card.  Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email one week after the original publication date. This raffle was made possible by grant funding from the sources below. 

Disclaimer: This series was supported by the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Dr. Rasheeda Monroe Health Equity grant whose mission is to support research and quality improvement aimed at improving health equity among infants, children, and adolescents. The content of this episode reflects my views and does not necessarily represent, nor is an endorsement of, NC NAPNAP or the Dr. Rasheeda Monroe Health Equity grant.  For more information, please community.napnap.org/northcarolinachapter.

References

Dali, S., Atasuntseva, A., Shankar, M., Ayeroff, E., Holmes, M., Johnson, C., Terkawi, A. S., Beadle, B., Chang, J., Boyd, K., & Dunn, T. (2022). Say My Name: Understanding the Power of Names, Correct Pronunciation, and Personal Narratives. MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources, 18, 11284. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11284

Keister, A. (2022). Can I still use sir and ma’am? When should I use Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Mx? What to do when you don’t know someone’s gender. The Diversity Movement. Retreived from https://thediversitymovement.com/sir-maam-mr-mrs-ms-mx-what-to-do-when-you-dont-know-someones-gender/

Lebensohn-Chialvo F. (2021). That's not my name. Families, systems & health : the journal of collaborative family healthcare, 39(1), 163–164. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000588