Resident physician attire: does it make a difference to our patients?

Area of Science:

• Medical practice and patient perception
• Healthcare communication and patient experience
• Clinical professionalism and attire standards

Background:

• Physician attire is a factor in patient interactions.
• Understanding patient perceptions of physician dress is crucial for healthcare providers.
• Previous research has explored patient preferences for physician clothing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patient preferences for physician attire.
• To determine if physician clothing style influences patient perception of competence.
• To assess patient comfort and confidence levels based on physician dress.

Main Methods:

• Patients from an obstetrics and gynecology clinic completed questionnaires.
• Participants responded to questions about their attire preferences.
• Patients evaluated photographs of physicians in various attire styles for comfort and perceived competence.

Main Results:

• A majority of patients expressed no strong preference for physician attire.
• Patient comfort and confidence were highest when physicians wore scrubs with a white coat.
• Casual physician attire resulted in the lowest patient comfort and perceived competence.

Conclusions:

• Resident physician attire significantly impacts patient perceptions.
• The combination of a white coat and surgical scrubs is the preferred attire for physicians.
• Casual clothing is generally disliked by patients and negatively affects their perception of physicians.