Most hospital patients unable to identify their physicians, survey finds

Hospital patients are rarely able to identify their doctors by name or to describe their roles in the patients' care, a new survey by researchers at the University of Chicago has found. Researchers interviewed 2,807 adults admitted to the school's hospital over a 15-month period. The patients were asked about the roles of the various physicians attending to them and to name the doctors on those teams. Some 75% of the patients were unable to name a single doctor assigned to their care. Of the 25% who responded with a name, only 40% were correct.