In this talk, Justin Clapp examines how familiar bioethics language—such as framing medical “decisions” around patients’ “values” and “preferences”—actually functions in real clinical settings, including surgical clinics and intensive care units. Drawing on ethnographic research, he illustrates how these concepts are often taken up in ways that diverge significantly from their theoretical intentions, producing effects that can be difficult for researchers and clinicians to recognize. As Clapp notes, “While it’s not news to bioethicists that our theories can have unanticipated effects when taken up in the clinic, this talk focused on how the language we use can actually make it more difficult to detect and understand those effects.” By closely examining how common terms like “decision,” “option,” “value,” and “preference” operate in everyday clinical interactions, the talk highlights how such language can obscure the complex dynamics of care. The presentation concludes by proposing alternative approaches to clinician–patient and clinician–family communication that better reflect the real‑world complexities of illness, care, and decision‑making.
Watch the recording of Dr. Justin Clapp’s grand rounds.
About the speaker:
Justin Clapp, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, and an Associated Faculty member in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. A linguistic and medical anthropologist, his research uses qualitative methods to examine health care communication and medical decision‑making, with a focus on perioperative and critical care settings. His work aims to develop ethical and practical models of decision‑making that better reflect the complexities of illness and clinical care.