Urological Department, The Royal Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Medical Sciences Division, Magdalen College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
BMJ Qual Saf. 2014 Jul;23(7):543-7. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002445. Epub 2014 Mar 5.
Hospital badges have multiple important purposes, but their essential role remains the clear identification of the bearer, including their professional status. The modernisation of medical careers in the National Health Service has changed terminology dramatically, resulting in a plethora of new job titles emerging among both doctors and nurses.
To determine whether the new or old terminology allowed clearer identification of medical doctors by patients and nurses.
We replicated 11 identification badges used in the Royal Cornwall Hospital and Wrexham Maelor Hospital, both current and before the introduction of new medical training terminology. Data were collected from 114 patients and 67 nurses, by asking them to (1) identify which name badges represented doctors and (2) rank them in order of seniority.
Only 11% of patients and 60% of nurses identified a 'Foundation Year 1 Trainee' as a qualified medical doctor. Indeed, only 'General Practice Vocational Trainee' and 'Consultant' were both readily identifiable as qualified doctors to both patients and nurses. Ranking was also a problem, with only 19% of patients and 45% of nurses able to correctly grade medical doctors using the current terminology. The old terminology allowed more accurate identification by nurses, with over 80% successfully ranking and marking the title appropriately.
Current terminology is a source of confusion to both patients and members of the immediate medical care team, with nurses unable to correctly identify medical doctors. Our study indicates that a review of terminology is necessary to ensure patients, and staff, are able to communicate effectively.
医院徽章有多种重要用途，但它的基本作用仍然是清楚地识别佩戴者，包括其职业身份。国民保健制度中医疗职业的现代化极大地改变了术语，导致医生和护士中出现了大量新的职称。
确定患者和护士是否能通过新的或旧的术语更清楚地识别医生。
我们复制了皇家康沃尔医院和雷克瑟姆梅奥医院使用的 11 个识别徽章，包括当前和新的医学培训术语引入之前使用的徽章。我们从 114 名患者和 67 名护士那里收集了数据，要求他们（1）识别哪些姓名徽章代表医生，（2）按资历对他们进行排名。
只有 11%的患者和 60%的护士能将“第一年培训生”识别为合格的医生。事实上，只有“普通科职业培训生”和“顾问”这两个职称既被患者又被护士普遍认为是合格的医生。排名也是一个问题，只有 19%的患者和 45%的护士能够使用当前术语正确地给医生分级。旧术语使护士更容易识别，超过 80%的护士能够正确地对职称进行排名和标记。
当前的术语对患者和直接医疗护理团队的成员来说都是一个混淆的来源，护士无法正确识别医生。我们的研究表明，有必要对术语进行审查，以确保患者和员工能够进行有效的沟通。
