Ascertaining women’s preferred mode of address and preferred choice of title during pregnancy and childbirth

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Date
2005-02
Authors
Horgan, Richard P.
Guha, S.
O'Sullivan, K.
Higgins, John R.
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Irish Medical Organisation
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Abstract
To determine how women in pregnancy would like to be addressed and to ascertain their preferred choice of title during pregnancy. A questionnaire was administered to 925 antenatal women. Midwifery and medical staff (183) were invited to respond to a similar questionnaire.The response rate was 71.2% from the survey of pregnant women. The vast majority (82.1%) preferred to be addressed by their first name. Women were in favour of being called ’patient’ (32.8%) as their first choice. The staff survey yielded a response rate of 77%. The majority (81.8%) of health professionals preferred to address women by their first name. ’Mother’ (28.7%) was the most popular first choice. We conclude that women in pregnancy do have a preference on how they would like to be addressed and this is predominantly by first name. Health professionals also prefer to call pregnant women by their first name. The term ’patient’ was the most popular first choice of title of women in pregnancy but the term ’mother’ was the preferred choice of the health professionals. Medical staff were more likely to choose ’patient’ than midwives.
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Keywords
Women's preferred choice of title and preferred mode of address , Pregnancy and childbirth , Survey of pregnant women
Citation
Horgan R, Guha S, O'Sullivan K, Higgins JR.; (2005) 'Ascertaining women's preferred mode of address and preferred choice of title during pregnancy and childbirth'. Irish Medical Journal, 98 (2):55-57.
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© Copyright 2005 Irish Medical Journal