How do patient's address you?

[JustPlainBill]

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When I was doing a 3rd year rural medicine clerkship, we were in a patient visit where the wife was the patient who had recently developed a chronic illness. They'd been in the practice for a few years and evidently were slightly difficult patients. The husband kept addressing the attending by his first name.

After the visit, the attending commented to me that patient's who address you by your first name without being invited to tend to not respect you as a physician and usually will not follow your medical advice so just do the best you can.

Well, yesterday, I was seeing a patient and the husband was in the room -- both were medicare age -- I usually wear a white coat with my name and creds on it --- he made it a point to look at the name strip and address me by my first name, uninvited, while in the room.

Then after the visit was over, on the way out, he came up to the nurses station where I was working getting the scripts sent off, and proceeded to tell me that they liked my bedside manner and when the time came up again to designate a physician I was going to be "their" doctor -- and proceeded to state rather loudly that now he had a JPB on "his team" with a big toothy grin.

So -- what's everyone's thoughts on this one -- how do your patients address you?

 

[surrender903]

dr surrender903, dr *first name*, dr dakota, "dr annoying" , dr duracell battery ( i keep going and going),

 

[hallowmann]

The only patients that I've seen address physicians by only their first name are childhood friends or family of those physicians.

Dr. Firstname, Dr. Lastname tends to vary from physician to physician. Doc is also pretty common out here.

 

[deleted87716]

I don't care what they call me as long as they pay me. 😉

Seriously, though, I've never insisted that anyone call me "doctor." My staff does, and most patients follow their example. However, if a patient prefers to call me by my first name or "Doctor [first name]" I don't really care. When I introduce myself to new patients, it's always with my first and last names, minus the "doctor" part. On the phone, however, I usually refer to myself as "Doctor [last name]" just to clarify who I am and why I'm calling.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

I usually address patients with "no, call me D4L"

 

[BlackDynamite]

Supreme leader, your highness, mr president, etc.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

So I've got a problem.

I see other co-resident's pts for acute visits (i.e. Urgent issues) when their PCP isn't around. They then want to switch to me as their PCP and then follow me when I finish. A lot of times I've been given a heads up that a lot of these pts are crazy. However, when I talk to them, they seem reasonable and we come out with well thought out plans and they seem to agree. One was anti-pharmaceuticals and anti-vaccine, so we discussed alternative approaches and that person liked it. I have an interest in alternative approaches so when they bring stuff up I can (most of the time) approach things with some knowledge and provide options accordingly.

I always wonder if they're splitting or if these folks are just frustrated and some of my colleagues are just stringent. A lot of these folks have commercial private insurance, so it's not like I would deny them if they are indeed reasonable individuals.

Thoughts?

 

[JustPlainBill]

Supreme leader, your highness, mr president, etc.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

You forgot -- El Guapo, The All-Knowing, All-Seeing God of Your Universe, He/She Who Must Always Be Obeyed, El Supremo, the list is endless....

 

[JustPlainBill]

So I've got a problem.

I see other co-resident's pts for acute visits (i.e. Urgent issues) when their PCP isn't around. They then want to switch to me as their PCP and then follow me when I finish. A lot of times I've been given a heads up that a lot of these pts are crazy. However, when I talk to them, they seem reasonable and we come out with well thought out plans and they seem to agree. One was anti-pharmaceuticals and anti-vaccine, so we discussed alternative approaches and that person liked it. I have an interest in alternative approaches so when they bring stuff up I can (most of the time) approach things with some knowledge and provide options accordingly.

I always wonder if they're splitting or if these folks are just frustrated and some of my colleagues are just stringent. A lot of these folks have commercial private insurance, so it's not like I would deny them if they are indeed reasonable individuals.

Thoughts?

Yeah, that's a tough one --- a lot of times, patients are frustrated because they don't get what they want when they want it from other docs and you show up willing to listen and entertain other viewpoints and all of a sudden, "You da man!".... Or other docs are busy, can't spend the time and here we go ---

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Yeah, that's a tough one --- a lot of times, patients are frustrated because they don't get what they want when they want it from other docs and you show up willing to listen and entertain other viewpoints and all of a sudden, "You da man!".... Or other docs are busy, can't spend the time and here we go ---

I agree. That's what it sounds like. I do wonder with these folks how likely they would be to turn on me as well if the situation changed in any way. That's my biggest concern. However, the other side of the coin is that I also feel that if they are satisfied with the care you provide from the onset and keep it up, they may very well be one of your most loyal pts. It's like a risk/reward thing in my mind.

 

[JustPlainBill]

I agree. That's what it sounds like. I do wonder with these folks how likely they would be to turn on me as well if the situation changed in any way. That's my biggest concern. However, the other side of the coin is that I also feel that if they are satisfied with the care you provide from the onset and keep it up, they may very well be one of your most loyal pts. It's like a risk/reward thing in my mind.

Yeah, just watch out for the subtle (or not so subtle) manipulation that may occur --