How do you address your patients?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. How do you address your patients?

    • 28
      Sir/Ma'am
    • 178
      Mr./Ms. [Last Name]
    • 81
      By first name.
    • 19
      Honey, Sweetie, etc.

306 members have participated

Just looking for the method you use most after introductions.

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Just looking for the method you use most after introductions.

I introduce myself and let them know they can call me by my first name then I ask them their preference.....

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Specializes in L&D, medsurg,hospice,sub-acute.
I introduce myself and let them know they can call me by my first name then I ask them their preference.....

My name badge has my first name large, and my last name and credentials tiny...I call my patients by mr/ms until we have a relationship, or permission to do otherwise, but because of how we ask them to address us, we mostly wind up with first names or nicknames they choose.

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Specializes in ICU.

I say good morning Mr/Mrs as appropriate, I'm Mary your nurse today/tonight. Then ask them how they would like to be addressed. Invariably they say call them by their first name, but I only use it if given permission. They seem to appreciate the courtesy.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Courtesy is always appreciated. For me, it depends on the situation. I have 200 chronic patients that I see weekly - I call most of them by their first name because I know them well. However, when I'm doing hospital rounds, I address the patients by Mr/Mrs and their last name. I always shake their hands, introduce myself to the pt and family/visitors and shake their hands. I introduce my role, which practice I'm with and what problem I will be addressing.

If it is an ICU, intubated/confused patient, I do the same (if possible) but I do call them by their first name in order to get their attention.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

We usually call patients by their first names. It's not often that I hear people calling patients by their last names or Mr/Mrs. But that is cause people here are not so formal when they speak to each other as before.

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Specializes in medical/oncology.

Generally when I first meet the pt I call them Mr/Mrs last name. I then ask something like "Is that what you like to be called, or would you prefer something else". As everyone else seems to have experienced, most pts prefer to be called by their first name. If the pt is around my age or younger (I'm 26) I usually just use first name from the beginning.

I absolutely HATE being called "sweetie", "honey", etc by anyone other than my closest friends. So I would never use one of those names to address a patient...or anyone else for that matter.

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

For the most part, I call them by their first name. I work in PACU, and most of my patients come to me "out of it". I've found that in order to document LOC, patients respond better to short statements, the shorter the better. It is easier to say "Beth" than to say "Mrs. Gobbledegook" - Pt. just rouse better to their first name.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

I always use Mr/Mrs to set a tone of respect. If a patient feels I respect him/her they are more likely to respect me. If I have the patient for more than one day I will ask them if they would prefer I call them by THIER FIRST NAME. I have always hated the "what do you want me to call you" question. The choice is Mr/Mrs ... or thier given name. I will not use a nicknames or dear,darling, sweetie, honey...These are far too casual for the nurse patient relationship and set the wrong tone for patient care.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

In ICU most of my patients are intubated and sedated. So I use first name and they respond better. Really important for me since this is Neuro ICU. I also tell them if awake and alert to call me by my first name. I ask if they are alert and oriented. I do ask family if they go by a nickname and use that for neuro checks. So I voted for calling by first name. I do that unless otherwise told not to.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I call the parents, "Mom" and "Dad"; I call the babies, "Baby". I do use terms of endearment for the babies, too: Snickerdoodle, Babycakes, Honeybunny and the like.

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Specializes in Long-term Care.

First name, "Mr./Mrs.," and "Sir/Maam," depending especially on how long I've known the patient. Most people I deal with live in a long-term care facility, so we know each other long enough to get to a first-name basis. I truly detest hearing people call them "Sweetie" or any of the other candy-names -- I rarely even call my wife or son by those names!!! Some folks have nicknames they like and, especially if they've made known that nickname, to be called by it. I suppose the best thing to do is...ask what your patient wants to be called! Once you enter the arena of starting therapeutic communication, using very formal titles may staunch the process (it makes the person feel somewhat disconnected from you) whereas using candy-names will add too much frivolity to it. Just think: if you went to Wal-mart or some other store, how would you feel being called "Sweetie" at the check-out? Wouldn't leave a good taste in your mouth, would it? You might even be tempted to slap the person, depending on how they said it and the context!!

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Specializes in Acute Care.

I always start out saying Mr./Ms., and ask what they prefer to be called at some point during the intro... the ones that can speak, anyway...

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