How patients and physicians address each other in the office

Six hundred four patients in three primary care office settings were asked whether they preferred to be addressed by their physician by their first or last name and whether they preferred to address their physician by first or last name. Actual use of first vs last name by the physician addressing the patient and the patient addressing the physician was also recorded. Of the patients expressing a preference, 96 percent preferred that their physician address them by first name while 87 percent noted that this gesture actually occurred. Forty percent of the patients preferred to address the physician by first name while 14 percent actually did so. These findings suggest that physicians can feel comfortable addressing almost all of their patients by first name and that many of their patients may desire to address them by their first name. It is suggested that the physician at the time of the patient's first visit clarify the manner in which each addresses the other.