When Words Shape Care: Educating First-Year Medical Students on Identifying and Replacing Bias in Electronic Health Documentation

Introduction: Although medical education increasingly addresses bias in patient care, less attention has been paid to biased language in clinical documentation within the Electronic Health Record (EHR), a critical concern as patients have increasing access to their records. Because biased language can influence clinicians' perceptions and negatively affect patient relationships, focused medical student training is needed to promote equitable, patient-centered care. Methods: -tests, descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis. Results: < .001). Students valued the workshop's use of examples of biased language and neutral language alternatives, and many recommended incorporating this training into the medical school curriculum. Discussion: The workshop improved MS1s' recognition of biased language in EHR documentation. Incorporating documentation bias training early in medical school may strengthen students' awareness of biased language and support more patient-centered documentation.