Patient attitudes toward community pharmacist attire

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Patient Perception
• Professionalism in Healthcare

Background:

• The white coat symbolizes professionalism and the provider-patient relationship for physicians.
• Limited research exists on how pharmacist attire impacts patient trust and professionalism perceptions.
• Understanding patient preferences for pharmacist dress can improve the provider-patient dynamic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient perceptions of pharmacist attire.
• To determine the influence of pharmacist dress on patient comfort, confidence, trust, and professionalism.
• To provide guidance on optimizing pharmacist appearance for enhanced patient relationships.

Main Methods:

• A 43-item Likert-type questionnaire was used.
• 347 adult community pharmacy patrons participated.
• Photographs depicted a male pharmacist in various attire, from casual to professional.

Main Results:

• Patients strongly favored pharmacists wearing a white coat, shirt and tie, dress shoes, and a name tag.
• Attire such as jeans, casual shoes, and visible body art was undesirable.
• Over 86% of respondents felt a white coat increased comfort, confidence, trust, and professionalism.

Conclusions:

• In community pharmacies, a pharmacist's white coat is crucial for projecting professionalism.
• Professional attire, particularly the white coat, is key to inspiring patient trust.
• Pharmacist dress code preferences directly influence patient perceptions of care quality.