The Impact of Physician Demographic Characteristics on Perceptions of Their Attire

Few studies address the impact of physician attire on ratings of personality characteristics in the presence of varied physician demographic characteristics (gender, racial/ethnic background). Even fewer have examined the boundaries of acceptable physician attire, given recent loosening of societal standards of dress.

Using an online survey methodology, adult participants (N=505; 45% medical professionals) were recruited. Participants rated target photos depicting a male and female individual from three ethnic/racial categories each dressed in business casual (with and without a white coat) or in professional attire (with and without a white coat) on a number of personality characteristics. General willingness to have physicians wear certain apparel items was also queried, as was the importance/acceptability of specific clothing items and appearance choices. Responses were analyzed by gender, age, ethnicity, and profession of respondent.

Both business casual and professional attire were rated highly. A name tag had the highest ratings for importance of wear. The results for wearing a white coat were not as consistent as earlier studies as physicians were perceived as warmer and kinder when not wearing a lab coat, particularly with professional attire. However, female Caucasian physicians were rated most positively when wearing a lab coat. Consistent with previous studies, attire that was too casual (jeans, t-shirts) was rated negatively.

The current study supports the notion that rules of attire are changing, even in the physician's office. Name tags were perceived to be crucial in medical settings, and casual clothing should be avoided. Despite often being considered a defining component of a physician's "uniform," the white lab coat may not be a universal positive and perhaps even a negative for some physicians.