Addressing patients by their first name...

[tytkhat]

...I was being shown the run down in the ER, and when the nurse with me came across our patient, a lovely 88 yo, she addressed her by her first name. I was mortified! I grew up addressing my elders as 'Sir', 'Ma'am', Mr. Soinso, etc. I would be sporting one heck of a nugget from whatever blunt object my grandmother wielded if I addressed otherwise. Apparently, this is how the patients are addressed...I asked...first name only. I am a tad uncomfortable with this (no, more than a tad). Also, the employee IDs show our first name only. It is weird for me. Has anyone else experienced this at their facility? How do you feel about addressing the patient by the first name only?

[tytkhat]

I thank all of you for your replies. I think I will go in with Mr. Bob and Ms. Jane if the person is older than me. Otherwise, me using the first name is fine. Esme12, I completely understand about the last name on the badges in an area where prisoners frequent the hospital. My previous employ was rather transparent, in such, you could go online with a persons name and all sorts of stuff pops up (THANKS GOOGLE EARTH)!!! I Googled myself, found my house before and after I did some updates on it, read my plates on my vehicle sitting in my driveway too. Heck, if I looked closer, I may have seen my kitty sitting in the window!

[Caffeine_IV]

I call patients Mr./Ms. Last name and if they say call me "teresa/bob/lou ann" then I will. I do the ma'am and sir out of habit to all ages and a lot of people don't like it and I'm in the South.

[motherof3sons]

I was taught to call by Mr/Miss/Mrs unless the person asks you to call them by their first name. I had one resident who was a teacher and I called her Mrs out of respect....she would chuckle and say call me "First name" and we would laugh and I would say "but I can't you were a teacher" then after that call her by her first name.

[OCNRN63, RN]

It annoys the heck out of me when people address me as "Mrs. *****." I'm not married. I don't need to be that formal, and prefer to be called by my first name. For patients, I would get a feel for what they preferred, and address them accordingly.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

It all depends on the patient population. I work in Mother/baby and usually address Mr and Mrs. so and so. Sometimes we address the fathers by referring to them as dad ( which they love). If I have a young mom that is between the ages of 12-17 they like to be called by their first name.

When I worked in LTC it was always Mr. or Mrs unless otherwise specified.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

I'm from Texas but now work in NY. I address by Mr or Ms. So and so unless the patient says otherwise. And I wish we didn't have last names on our name tags with some of the patients I've had.

[RNlove17]

People do either/or here. Usually when meeting for the 1st time I'll do Mr/Ms then switch to first names

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

They have names? Funny I always refer to them as NVD in 12 or CP in 4 or Trauma in 1

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Address people as they choose to be addressed. If someone asked me how I wanted to be referred to, then began calling me something other than that, I would be ticked.

[lub dub]

I've always called my patients Mr. or Mrs., sir or ma'am. If they wish to be addressed by their first names, they will say so. And I've always believed that calling an elderly person by their first name is disrespectful. That's how I was raised.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I love the handoff form we have in preop- it includes a space for what the patient prefers to be called. Some go by first name, some go by middle name, and some go by something I have no idea where it comes from. I've never had a patient who preferred Mr/Mrs/Ms Lastname. Would also be nice if this was included in our EMR- unless I tell the ICU nurse I'm handing my surgical patient over to, the patient may not respond to whatever they try to call them when the sedation is wearing off.

I actually had a patient tell me that a nurse was trying to get a response out of her in PACU after a previous surgery by using her first name- patient never responded, so the nurse called anesthesia thinking there were issues. Anesthesiologist walks in, calls her by her preferred name, and she responded right away. Calling the patient what they want to be called can actually improve safety- what if it had been another anesthesiologist and not the one who had been with her and knew she wouldn't respond to her first name?

[DoGoodThenGo]

Implied informality is a big issue these days, especially with those of a certain age and or background. Many persons were brought up the same as I in that you always addressed strangers, older persons, those in authority, etc... using a honorific and never by their Christian name unless directly told to do so. However many in the younger generation spurred on by various elements in the media and so forth encourage informality as a way of breaking down barriers.

Have a gf who has driven customer service and other persons to tears because they dared to address her by her first name.

Went with her to one of those "CityMD" clinics and it was an eye opener. After filling out some initial paperwork the "nurse" or whomever it was that did the screening came to ask some questions and began using the woman's first name. Her response was to answer the first question and add "please not use my Christian name when you address me". Ok... *LOL* The nurse or whatever continued asking questions and using this woman's first name. At first she repeated and reinforced her previous demand, and when that didn't work ceased responding. Will not bore everyone with further details but am almost sure by the time we left that place the staff had many other names to call this woman.

For what it is worth implied informality in hospitals/heath care settings is rather new. Far as one remembers right through the 1980's patients were "Mr. Mrs. Dr. or whatever". Nurses were "Miss. Smith" or "Nurse Grayson". Physicians were always "Dr.".