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Customer, client, consumer, recipient, or patient
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Summary
Physicians and psychologists prefer using patient names over terms like "customer." Both groups favored being called "doctor" and rejected "provider," indicating a preference for traditional professional titles.
Area of Science:
- Medical terminology and patient-clinician communication.
- Healthcare professional identity and patient perception.
Background:
- Managed care has led to a shift in terminology, with payers often using terms like "customer" or "client" instead of "patient."
- Previous research suggests patients prefer to be addressed as "patients."
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate preferred terminology for referring to patients among physicians and psychologists.
- To determine how physicians and psychologists prefer to be addressed by patients.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was mailed to 100 physicians across four specialties and 100 psychologists.
- Response rate was 61%.
Main Results:
- Physicians preferred using patient last names, followed by first names; psychologists preferred first names, then last names.
- Neither group favored terms like "client," "customer," "consumer," or "recipient" for patients.
- Physicians and psychologists preferred being called "doctor," rejecting the term "provider."
Conclusions:
- Healthcare professionals and patients show a preference for traditional and personalized terminology.
- The findings underscore the importance of respectful and preferred forms of address in the clinical setting.