Evaluating the use of business cards among neurosurgery residents and its impact on patient satisfaction

•Physician business cards provide patients with their doctors' contact information and may enhance patient satisfaction in several aspects.•PGY-1 and -2 residents handed out the most business cards, and those who did were perceived by patients to be better overall communicators and have greater medical expertise.•Residents who handed out business cards were perceived to be more effective communicators, have greater medical expertise, and provided higher quality of medical care as compared to residents who did not hand out business cards.•Neurosurgery residents rarely handed out business cards, and those who did were viewed as having better overall communication skills.