June 15, 2007 (Insidermedicine) Establishing rapport with the doctor, including shaking hands and being greeted by first name, is important to patients, say researchers in a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The first few minutes of a medical encounter are critical to making the patient feel comfortable, and setting the tone of the doctor-patient relationship.

In a survey to determine patient expectations and preferences, researchers questioned 415 adults across the US. They asked the participants how they wanted their doctor to greet them. They also analyzed videotapes of more than 120 new patient visits in the offices of 19 different doctors.

They found that about three-quarters of patients wanted doctors to shake hands, and about half wanted their first name used during greetings. One quarter wanted both their first and last name used and almost six out of 10 preferred that doctors introduce themselves by both their first and last names.

The videotapes revealed that nine doctors shook hands with every patient and the other 10 shook hands two-thirds of the time. In about half of all encounters, the doctor failed to mention the patient’s name at all. When introducing themselves, a third of doctors used their last name only, and almost two-thirds used both their first and last names.

The researchers recommend that doctors shake hands with patients, but remain sensitive to the nonverbal clues that indicate whether the patient is comfortable with this behaviour. 

Considering the diversity of opinions, it is suggested that doctors use the patients’ first and last name initially, and introduce themselves using their own first and last names. While the greetings are obviously a small part of the overall visit, they do set the tone for the rest of the encounter, and for the ongoing doctor-patient relationship.

Reporting for Insidermedicine, I’m Dr. Susan Sharma.