Most primary care doctors have favorite patients, study finds

The goal of the study was to identify the common attributes of these physicians’ favorite patients and examine how having favorite patients impacts their physician-patient relationships.

Who were the favorites? Surprisingly, they weren’t typically the most compliant patients or the ones most similar to the doctors. Instead, they were long-term patients who spent more time with their physician while going through a major illness. So the doctors were very familiar with their favorite patients’ personalities and health histories — allowing them to provide the best care.