Does Your Doctor Shake Your Hand?

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine has examined what patients expect when they first meet a physician. They used a telephone survey of 415 adults across the USA to find out what might be done right to get the doctor-patient relationship off on the right foot. Among the findings:

• 78% said they wanted the physician to shake their hand during the greeting
• 50% wanted their first name used by the physician
• 24% wanted the physician to use both their first and last names
• 56% wanted physicians to introduce themselves using their own first and last names

(We also hope the doctor has washed his hands after seeing the last patient.) Personally, I find it a good sign if the doctor gives me a card with his phone numbers on it, and says I can call him ‘anytime’. Of course, I usually get a voicemail-box or an answering service, but it makes a good first impression.