Purpose: To explore if patients' preferences regarding formalities and inpatient accommodation during their inpatient hospital experience have changed since 1999.
Methods: A ten-item survey was administered to an inpatient sample in an urban teaching hospital and compared with results from a similar survey in 1999.
Results: The majority (98.1%; n = 211) of patients in 2023 preferred to be addressed by their first name (73.8%; n = 152 in 1999; p < 0.001). Patient's preference for doctors using their full title fell (72.3% in 1999 versus 36.7% in 2023; p < 0.001). Inpatients in 2023 tended to have no preference regarding their doctor's gender (91.6% versus 80.1% in 1999; p = 0.001) and age (87.0% versus 40.8% in 1999; p < 0.001). Half (52.7%) of inpatients aged above 65 years preferred multi-occupancy wards when compared with those aged below 65 years (32.0%; p = 0.02).
Conclusion: Inpatients prefer less formal interactions within the doctor-patient relationship. Multi-occupancy ward accommodation is favored among those above 65 years.
Keywords: Medical formalities; Medical student education; Multi-occupancy room; Patient preferences; Single-room wards.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Geriatric Medicine Society.