What dress code do we teach students and residents? A survey of patients’ and their families’ preferences regarding physicians’ appearance

Abstract

Introduction: From the late 1960s to the present, physicians’ dress codes have been actively studied in Western countries. Until the early 21st century, patients tended to prefer a conservative dress style, such as “shirt and tie or skirt” with white coats for physicians. However, as attitudes toward dress codes have changed, knowledge regarding this issue needs to be updated. A variety of colours of scrubs are currently commonly used by medical professionals, but it is not known whether all colours are acceptable to patients. The current study sought to investigate the acceptability of various dress codes for physicians from the patients’ perspective, to inform medical education. Methods: Outpatients and their family members at a university hospital and a small-to-medium-sized hospital were surveyed. We inquired about which of the different styles of white coats and different colours of scrubs were most desirable for male and female physicians. We used Scheffe’s paired comparison method to determine rankings. Results: Patients and their family members expected their physicians to wear white coats rather than scrubs. Furthermore, a more traditional and formal dress code was preferred. The least preferred colour of scrubs was yellow. Conclusion: The current results indicated that patients’ preference for a traditional, conservative appearance has not changed over time. This finding does not match current perspectives on infection prevention. Both patient preferences and infection prevention are important for informing education and gaining patient trust.

Keywords

• white coat
• scrub colour
• physicians’ appearance
• medical education
• doctor-patient communication