Sounds as if they are changing official documents to avoid making assumptions.
I suppose language between people who know each other will reflect personal preference - anything else is impolite. I hope that with people we don't know we are allowed to make mistakes, but people working in an official setting like a hospital need to be aware and quick to pick up preferences so good that policy makes this easier.

Language takes a while to catch up with social change. Wife / husband assumes a wedding partner doesn't. But some of us were brought up when marriage was the norm.