Medical student dress code in the orthopaedic out-patient department

Currently, medical students are not given specific guidance on how to dress, which allows them to wear what they interpret as being appropriate, which may not always be optimal. Many studies have shown that a doctor's attire can greatly affect the consultation; however, no studies have been carried out for patient response to medical student attire.

A patient questionnaire was issued, based on pictures of medical students in various clothing styles: with a white coat; without a white coat but smartly dressed; and without a white coat and dressed in smart casual attire. This was followed by a second live phase, where patients were seen by medical students dressed with or without white coats and were asked to complete a survey assessing their response to the student and consultation, based solely on their mode of dress.

Patients favour medical students wearing white coats. White coats scored highest in trust and confidence, cleanliness, and professionalism; they were not more intimidating. Ninety per cent of respondents thought that it was important how medical students dressed, and 78 per cent would like to be able to distinguish medical students from doctors. Currently, medical students are not given specific guidance on how to dress

The results show that medical student attire is an important issue for patients. It has been shown that patients did not find students dressed in white coats intimidating, and that white coats make students come across as more professional, thereby enhancing the patient experience. We recommend that medical students should be given more direction in how to dress so as to help instill higher levels of satisfaction in patients. Furthermore, the opinions on white coats should be further explored and their reinstitution considered.