Do patients give a damn? An exploratory study of patient perspectives on clinician swearing during physical rehabilitation.

Background: Swearing is a common linguistic tool associated with positive benefits. In healthcare, however, the impact of clinician swearing on patients remains unclear. This exploratory study investigated patients' lived experiences with clinicians who swore and examined patient perspectives on when clinician swearing is perceived as appropriate or inappropriate. Method: A cross-sectional, mixed methods, retrospective study was conducted with physical rehabilitation patients ( Results: Thirty-one patients (54.39%) reported that their clinician swore during treatment. Among these, most indicated swearing increased motivation (61.13%), improved self-confidence (58.06%), and supported adherence (51.61%). Patients generally agreed that swearing was patient-centered (54.84%) and improved the rehabilitation experience (64.52%), while no patients stated the swearing was unprofessional or offensive. When swearing frequency was dichotomized into high vs. low, patients in the high-frequency group reported greater motivation, self-confidence, and adherence compared to the low-frequency group, though confidence intervals included null effects. However, the small sample size limited statistical power; therefore, these nonsignificant findings should be interpreted cautiously. High-frequency swearing was associated with higher ratings of patient centeredness [ Conclusion: Due to the study's limitations, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Most patients who experienced clinician swearing reported neutral to positive outcomes, suggesting swearing may enhance aspects of rehabilitation. Patients emphasized that appropriateness depends on context, relationship, and patient characteristics, suggesting that swearing may be a potentially effective communicative tool best applied with sensitivity.