Patients prefer formal attire with white coat for their primary care and hospital-based physicians.
Comment: “This is the largest study of U.S. patient preferences for physician attire and the only one that addresses both inpatient and outpatient physicians’ attire. Findings make a statement on how attire might affect patient satisfaction — now measured and reported by healthcare institutions — and could have implications for dress codes or guidelines based on clinical settings and physician practices.”
Dressler DD. Physician Attire: Is All Dress Created Equal (in Patients’ Eyes)? NEJM Journal Watch. (July 3, 2018)
Citation:
Petrilli CM et al. Understanding patient preference for physician attire: A cross-sectional observational study of 10 academic medical centres in the USA. BMJ Open 2018 May 29.
In a survey, white coats were rated more highly than other attire; women were rated as less professional than men, regardless of attire.
Scwenk TL. Physicians Attire — Does It Matter to Patients?. NEJM Journal Watch. (Aug 10, 2021).
Comment: “Isolating patient assessments of physicians based solely on pictures of attire obviously does not capture the nature of a physician’s demeanor or communication skills, but this study and another similar one suggest there is something about white coats that has meaning for patients. This study also reinforces the known and unfortunately persistent sex bias that causes patients to discount the role and experience of female physicians.”
Citation:
Xun H et al. Public perceptions of physician attire and professionalism in the US. JAMA Netw Open 2021 Jul 30.
The Bottom Line 