Medical Staff

Patients don't know doctor's name, study says

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, February 10, 2009

The majority of hospital patients can not identify a single doctor assigned to their care, according to a University of Chicago study, “Ability of Hospitalized Patients to Identify Their In-hospital Physicians,” published in the Jan. 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 patients and asked them to identify the role of their care team members that included medical students, residents, and attending physicians, according to the New York Times.

Researchers found the following:

  • 75% of patients could not name a single doctor assigned to their care
  • 25% remembered a name
  • Of that quarter of patients who recalled a name, only 40% of them were correct

One cause for this lack of doctor identification is that physicians-in-training are less likely to introduce themselves and explain their roles to their patients. Another factor is restricted resident hours, which can lead to fragmented care.

Not being able to identify doctors can affect how patients ask questions and what decisions they make during their hospital stay, according to the study.

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