The prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI) in hospitalized patients was determined, as well as the frequency with which physicians query about FI. Using a standardized questionnaire, subjects admitted to general medicine services at three university hospitals were questioned about FI. Investigators also reviewed the subjects' charts to determine if presence or absence of FI was documented. One hundred ninety-nine patients were enrolled, and 46% (92/199) reported ongoing FI. Advanced age, looser stools, symptoms of fecal urgency, urinary incontinence, and history of forceps delivery were found to be potential predictors of FI. Only 6% (6/92) with FI had documentation of FI in the medical chart and only 3% (6/199) of the entire sample were queried about FI. Fecal incontinence is an extremely common condition in hospitalized patients. Physician history-taking is severely deficient in this area. Methods to improve FI detection in the hospitalized patient population need to be developed.