The way doctors greet new patients affects their future relationship, according to a new study by Northwestern University’s medical school.
The telephone survey involving 415 patients in 48 states, and 123 videotaped encounters found that although there is widespread consensus that doctors’ greetings set the tone for relationships, there is little empirical evidence about what constitutes an appropriate greeting.
Seventy-eight percent said they wanted a handshake from a physician, while 56 percent said they wanted the introduction to contain the doctor’s first and last name. Thirty-two percent said they preferred the omission of a doctor’s first name.
The videotaped encounters revealed that 83 percent of physicians shook hands with first-time patients but that 51 percent did not use the patient’s name during their meeting.
