Work

Key Roles of Epistemic Humility in OB/GYN Care of Patients in Acute Non-Labor and Delivery Pain Care

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article considers ethical, epistemic, and clinical harms of normalizing, discounting, or dismissing patients' experiences of acute pain in non-labor and delivery obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) settings. Discrediting patients' accounts undermines the therapeutic capacity of patient-clinician relationships, causes unjustified suffering, and may even contribute to life-threatening delays in recognizing and treating complications. This article urges OB/GYN practitioners to consider the ways in which structural and individual factors predispose them to discredit patients' testimonies and thereby contribute to epistemic and other harms. OB/GYN practitioners are encouraged to cultivate the virtue of epistemic humility and consider the role of patient satisfaction scores in evaluating care.

Source: The AMA Journal of Ethic

DOI: 10.1001/amajethics.2025.117

Author: Kelly K. Gillespie

Institution: Saint Louis University

Language: English

Topic: Ethics and bioethics in healthcare

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4407088632