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Related Experiment Videos

Is our appearance important to our patients?

S Menahem1, P Shvartzman

  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Center for Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Family Practice
|December 16, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Patient preferences for physician attire reveal a desire for formality, with many favoring white coats for doctors and nurses. However, most patients state attire doesn't influence their choice of family physician.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Sociology
  • Healthcare Management
  • Patient Experience

Background:

  • Patient perception of healthcare providers' appearance is crucial for trust and comfort.
  • Understanding patient preferences for physician and nurse attire can inform professional dress code policies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate patient attitudes regarding the appearance of family physicians and nurses.
  • To identify specific attire elements preferred or disliked by patients for medical professionals.

Main Methods:

  • Survey of 168 patients across three family medicine clinics in Beer-Sheva, Israel.
  • Inclusion of questions on medical staff dress code and visual preference assessments using attire-varied physician images.

Main Results:

  • 75% of patients reported physician attire does not influence their choice of family doctor.
  • 52% preferred doctors in white coats, and 71% preferred nurses in white coats.
  • Formal attire, name tags, and specific grooming (short hair for females) were preferred; revealing or casual clothing was generally disliked.

Conclusions:

  • A significant portion of patients still favor traditional white coats for physicians and nurses.
  • Patients generally prefer a formal dress code for both male and female physicians in family medicine settings.
  • Despite stated preferences, the majority of patients assert that attire does not impact their selection of a family physician.

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