How Parents of Pediatric Patients Want to be Greeted

What is it about?

In our survey, we found that parents are often called Mom, Dad, Mommy, or Daddy by medical staff caring for their children. Our results show that many parents like to be called Mom or Dad; however many dislike being greeted as Mommy, Daddy, Ma’am, or Sir. In order to foster and maintain the relationship between the family and the medical team, we recommend that parents be addressed by name whenever possible and to avoid greeting parents as Mommy/Daddy or Ma’am/Sir.

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Why is it important?

The relationship between doctors and the families of their patients greatly impacts patient satisfaction and outcomes. This therapeutic relationship begins with greetings when they first meet. Parents of pediatric patients like to be addressed by name. However, we found that many are still being addressed by generic titles. The data presented here help providers understand what generic titles parents find acceptable (Mom/Dad) and which are disliked by many (Mommy/Daddy/Ma'am/Sir).

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