Patient Preferences of Physician Introductions In Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery

Abstract

Purpose: Communication between patients and physicians is critical in reaching a diagnosis, improving compliance, and optimizing outcomes and patient satisfaction. The doctor–patient relationship begins when a physician introduces himself or herself to a patient; however, no optimal method has been reported on how best to perform an introduction in hand surgery. Methods: We enrolled 254 consecutive patients presenting for initial outpatient consultation with a board-certified hand and upper-extremity surgeon at a level 1 urban academic medical center. A brief questionnaire was administered assessing patients’ preference toward how the hand surgeon should introduce himself or herself in the initial patient encounter. Preferences were quantified in the context of demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, education level, and type of presenting injury (eg, urgent or nonurgent). Results: Among all respondents, patients meeting the hand surgeon for the first time in an outpatient clinic setting most preferred the construct “Hello, my name is Dr Appleseed,” in which “Appleseed” is the physician’s last name (n = 156, 61%), followed by first–last (n = 54; 21%), no preference (n = 28; 11%), and first only (n = 16; 6%). These preferences persisted across groups irrespective of race, ethnicity, type of injury, education level, and sex, and when assessing shared demographic variables with the treating physician. Among generational cohorts stratified by age, only patients born before 1943 differed in the preferred greeting construct; they selected first and last name as the desired option (33%). Conclusions: Results revealed that patients preferred hand surgeons to introduce themselves as “Hello, my name is Dr Appleseed,” in which “Appleseed” corresponds to the treating physician’s last name. Age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education level did not influence the choice of preferred greeting. Physicians should consider introducing themselves in this fashion to optimize the initial stages of the doctor–patient relationship. Type of study/level of evidence: Economic/Decision Analysis IV. Key words: doctor–patient relationship, initial encounter, introductions, patient satisfaction, surgery