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

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.