Study: Attire shapes patient trust, perceptions

Editor's Note

Physician attire, particularly white coats, directly affects patients' perceptions of professionalism, trust, and communication, according to an August 12 article in MedPage Today. Preferences vary dramatically based on clinical setting, medical specialty, and physician gender.

The article focuses on a systematic review published in The BMJ analyzing patient preferences for physician clothing across diverse healthcare environments. In terms of medical specialty, some patients preferred shirts, ties, and white coats for surgeons. Patients preferred physicians in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as ophthalmology, to wear white coats, while in breast radiology the preference was for physicians in scrubs. In primary care settings, patients preferred a combination of casual attire and white coats, which reflects the knowledge that primary care environments encourage long-term patient-physician relationships and foster effective communication, researchers claim.

Studies that looked at clothing perceptions related to physician gender, showing a distinct preference for male physicians to wear suits, MedPage Today reports. There was also a preference for female surgeons to wear white coats over scrubs compared with being dressed in suits or casual attire.

As detailed in the article, several studies in the review also looked at patient perceptions of physician attire during the pandemic. Two COVID-related studies consistently reported a shift in preference towards practical and hygienic attire, such as scrubs and face masks, reflecting patients' heightened sensitivity to infection control.

The full report offers additional detail, including how attire impacts perceptions of trust and professionalism as well as study sourcing and methodology.