RT Journal
A1 Maniaci MJ, Heckman MG, Dawson NL
T1 INcreasing a patient's ability to identify his or her attending physician using a patient room display
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2010
FD June 28
VO 170
IS 12
SP 1081
OP 1083
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.158
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2010.158
AB 
One aspect of improving patient safety and satisfaction in the hospital is the patient's ability to communicate with his or her principal caregiver. The first step in this communication chain is identification of the primary attending physician. Unfortunately, in many teaching institutions this can be difficult for a patient. Patient care at many teaching institutions includes multiple health care providers, such as the primary attending physician, resident physicians, consulting physicians, and fellows. With such a multitude of house staff interacting with the patient on a daily basis, it is common for patients to experience confusion when trying to identify their primary attending physician. Physicians contribute to this problem by not introducing themselves properly.1 Nonteaching hospitals can have similar difficulties owing to the rise of the use of hospitalists who assume inpatient care from the patients' regular primary care physicians.2