{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T11:04:48Z","timestamp":1785409488159,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":13,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777420800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Best practice guidelines suggest that patients should be well acquainted with their healthcare provider, and that doctors should introduce themselves or be introduced by another member of the patient\u2019s healthcare team. This aligns with the National Patients\u2019 Rights Charter by the National Department of Health, which states that every patient has the right to be treated by a named healthcare provider. Nevertheless, many patients have trouble recalling the name of their doctor. This study aimed to determine whether patients admitted to the adult ward of the National District Hospital in the Free State province, South Africa, could recall their doctor\u2019s name.\nMethods:\u00a0Structured interviews were conducted with consenting patients to evaluate whether they knew their doctors\u2019 names.\nResults:\u00a0Only 10% of patients recalled their doctor\u2019s name. Less than half reported that doctors introduced themselves, 41% noticed a name badge, 63% saw their doctor more than once daily and 86% understood the reason for admission. The education levels of the patients showed no discernible influence on the results.\nConclusion:\u00a0A minority of patients could recall their doctors\u2019 names, indicating a potential gap in communication and connection. Many patients expressed uncertainty regarding their doctor\u2019s name. This study underscores the importance of improving the visibility, accessibility and consistency of doctor identification methods in healthcare settings to strengthen the doctor\u2013patient relationship and optimise patient care experiences.\nContribution:\u00a0This study underscores the necessity for institutions to prioritise and implement strategies to enhance patient\u2013doctor recognition, thereby improving therapeutic relationships and potentially improving patient outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/safp.v68i1.6257","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T07:05:39Z","timestamp":1777014339000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Admitted patients\u2019 recall of their treating doctors\u2019 names in adult wards of a South African district hospital"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"68","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-3654-2553","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emile H.","family":"Kotze","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7566-3428","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elmar C.","family":"van Eeden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-4965-5959","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shannon-Lee","family":"Rietkerk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2416-320X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kelefile","family":"Moloantoa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0896-5044","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mpumelelo","family":"Ndaba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5008-3381","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roux","family":"Burger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5092-2957","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cornel","family":"van Rooyen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9138-4884","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johan","family":"Botes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0129-8983","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chantelle C.","family":"van der Bijl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/009xwd568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Free State"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","unstructured":"Health Professions Council of South Africa. Guidelines for good practice in the health care professions \u2013 National Patient\u2019s Right Charter. Booklet 3 [homepage on the Internet]. Pretoria: HPCSA; 2023 [cited 2026 Mar 12]. Available from: https:\/\/www.hpcsa.co.za\/ethics"},{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chu F-Y, Dai Y-X, Liu J-Y, Chen T-J, Chou L-F, Hwang S-J. A doctor\u2019s name as a brand: A nationwide survey on registered clinic names in Taiwan. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(6): 1134. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph15061134","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph15061134"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bravery BD, Stojkov J, Brown J. Supporting effective doctor-patient communication: Doctors\u2019 name badges. Med J Aust. 2020;213(11):500. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5694\/mja2.50792","DOI":"10.5694\/mja2.50792"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Binsalih S, Al Harthi O, Qahtani M, Al Sayyari A. 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BMC Fam Pract. 2011;12:141 https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/1471-2296-12-141","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2296-12-141"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nolan DP, O\u2019Connor MB, O\u2019Dwyer M, O\u2019Shea S, Phelan MJ. Doctor-patient introductions: Getting it right. Ir J Med Sci. 2011;180(4):935\u2013936. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11845-011-0676-6","DOI":"10.1007\/s11845-011-0676-6"},{"key":"ref11","unstructured":"Creswell JW, Creswell JD. Quantitative methods. In: Creswell JW, Creswell JD, editors. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 6th ed. London: Sage, 2023; p. 157\u2013189."},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kessels RPC. Patients\u2019 memory for medical information. J R Soc Med. 2003;96(5):219\u2013222. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1258\/jrsm.96.5.219","DOI":"10.1258\/jrsm.96.5.219"}],"container-title":["South African Family Practice"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/safpj.co.za\/index.php\/safpj\/article\/view\/6257\/10461","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T07:05:52Z","timestamp":1777014352000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/safpj.co.za\/index.php\/safpj\/article\/view\/6257"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]]},"references-count":13,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/safp.v68i1.6257","relation":{},"ISSN":["2078-6190","2078-6204"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2078-6190","type":"print"},{"value":"2078-6204","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]]},"article-number":"a6257"}}