Ties and white coats, to wear or not to wear? Patients’ attitude to doctors’ appearance in the otolaryngology outpatient clinic

Hathorn, Iain; Ross, Sarah; Cain, A J

doi:10.1111/j.1749-4486.2008.01717.x

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“… 10 Likewise, a majority of Scottish patients preferred that their ear, nose, and throat surgeons did not wear a tie. 19 Also, several other studies reported that patients may not prefer their physician to wear a particular attire. 20 , 21 In contrast to these results, some previous studies found that the style of dress was an important consideration in a patient’s ability to trust a physician.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients’ attitudes toward the attire of male physicians: a single-center study in Saudi Arabia

Batais

2014

Annals of Saudi Medicine

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESThe doctor–patient relationship has been influenced by the appearance of physicians, and there is an association between a physician’s physical appearance and the patients’ initial perceptions of physician competence. This study aims to explore patients’ preferences toward the attire of a male physician, and to examine if a physician’s choice of uniform influences the degree of trust, confidence, and follow-up care among respondents.DESIGN AND SETTINGSA cross-sectional survey conducted among patients of the Alwazarat family medicine center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.PATIENTS AND METHODSA self-administered questionnaire was completed by 300 patients (50% were male and 83.6% had received a secondary education; the mean age was 33.4 [10.1] years) in the Alwazarat family medicine center in Riyadh. The questionnaire was also customized for the local setting with the inclusion of photos of a male doctor in Saudi Arabian national costume, and 3 other dress styles (Western dress with white coat, scrubs with white coat, and scrubs only).RESULTSOverall, across all questions regarding physician dress style preferences, participants significantly preferred Western dress (39.9%, P<.001), followed by Saudi national dress (26.3%), a scrub suit with a white coat (22.3%), and scrubs only (11.5%). Respondents reported that they were more likely to follow medical advice and would return for follow-up care if a physician wore Western dress. They were significantly more willing to share their social, sexual, and psychological problems with a physician wearing Saudi national dress (P<.001). The importance of a physician’s appearance was ranked significantly higher by older patients (P=.002).CONCLUSIONRespondents were more likely to favor a physician wearing Western attire with a white coat. However, Saudi national dress, followed by Western dress, is the preferred attire when physicians are dealing with social, sexual, and psychological problems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients’ attitudes toward the attire of male physicians: a single-center study in Saudi Arabia

Batais

2014

Annals of Saudi Medicine

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“…However, it has been found that white coats and neck ties are potential sources of cross-infection, especially in surgical areas. According to a study by Hathorn et al, 7 white coats and uniforms pick up bacteria 65% of the time, especially when physicians lean over the patients. At present, there is no regulation with regard to the length of long coats, sleeves, identification badges, neckties, and even jewelry that can harbor harmful bacteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study Regarding Spanish-Speaking Parents’ Preference of Physician Attire in the Pediatric Emergency Room

Nibhanipudi

Mason

Pandey

et al. 2013

Clin Pediatr (Phila)

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Parents prefer physicians wearing hospital scrubs and sneakers and having short hair. This could indicate that parents do not prefer formal attire in the pediatric emergency room (ER). Also, a gender difference was noticed. Parents do not prefer women physicians with high heels and make up. But, they tolerate male physicians with moustaches/beards. This could be related to the fact that most of the parent questionnaires were answered by Spanish women. Results are interesting and useful in addressing the question of physicians' attire in the pediatric ER in the context of a predominantly Spanish speaking population.

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“…Our study also differ from other different study performed at different places. 5,8,12,[15][16][17] This vast difference in patient perspective could be because in our hospital most of patient came from village areas and they think that doctors should wear white coat. While asking the patient regarding reasons for wearing white coat, 87.7% of our patients replied that its for identification and to prevent infection which is similar to study performed by Douse et al 11 , but several other studies showed that white coats and nurses uniforms suggest potential risk of bacterial contamination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients' Perspective on Doctor's Attire

Shrestha

Amatya

et al. 2014

Nepalese J ENT Head Neck Surg

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Ties and white coats, to wear or not to wear? Patients’ attitude to doctors’ appearance in the otolaryngology outpatient clinic

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

Patients’ attitudes toward the attire of male physicians: a single-center study in Saudi Arabia

Patients’ attitudes toward the attire of male physicians: a single-center study in Saudi Arabia

A Study Regarding Spanish-Speaking Parents’ Preference of Physician Attire in the Pediatric Emergency Room

Patients' Perspective on Doctor's Attire

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