Do patients know which healthcare professionals are doctors?

Using an anonymous questionnaire survey this study aimed to determine patients' knowledge of professional qualifications and which healthcare professionals are required to have undergone medical school training. Four hundred patients were questioned equally distributed between four general practices in Roehampton, London. The mean age of the sample was 43 y. Gender ratio was skewed with 31% men and 63% women (6% missing data). Amongst the three professional groups, just over 50% scored correctly. Almost 25% of respondents failed to correctly identify the listed doctors and medical non-doctors. The mean score of incorrectly identified alternative practitioners was 13%. There were significant age-related differences for scores, identified by chi-square and trend analysis, with the younger groups scoring better. Patients were largely unsure in identifying professional qualifications, it is concluded that confusion exists amongst patients as to which health-workers are doctors. Listing of professional qualifications does not help in clarifying this. Health-workers whose work involves invasive procedures or drug therapy are more likely to be thought of as medically qualified doctors. This confusion appears not to exist with alternative practitioners. Given the growing regard to appropriate and useful skill mix of health professionals (patients are increasingly seen in the first instance by non-doctors, eg nurse practitioners), it would seem appropriate that patients are made fully aware of who they are consulting.