We conducted a nationwide telephone survey of a random sample of United States adults in summer 1988 (n = 2000, response rate = 75 percent) to find out if physicians were providing education and counseling to the public about AIDS and AIDS prevention. Within the previous five years, 94 percent had seen a physician but only 15 percent had discussed AIDS even though most said they would not object to discussing the topic. AIDS-related conversations are not commonplace in physician's offices and in most cases (72 percent) patients are the initiators of such conversations.