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First name or last name: which do patients prefer?
R D Gillette1, A Filak, C Thorne
1Department of Family Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Youngstown.
The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Most patients prefer to be called by their first names, especially established patients. Physician-patient name preference varies, with new patients showing less consistent preferences for first names.
Area of Science:
- Medical communication
- Patient-physician relationship
Background:
- Debate exists regarding patient address (first vs. last name).
- Limited data available on patient preferences.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine patient preferences for being addressed by physicians.
- Guide healthcare professionals in patient interactions.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 375 ambulatory patients.
- Assessed preferences in various physician interaction contexts.
Main Results:
- First-time encounters: 45% preferred first names, 29% last names.
- Established relationships: 78% preferred first names, 6% last names.
- Preferences showed little variation with patient or physician demographics.
Conclusions:
- Predicting new patient address preference is unreliable.
- Most established patients prefer first name address.