Patients Prefer Their Doctors to be Dressed Professionally
 [Posted on: Thursday, June 16, 2016]

In a recent survey published in JAMA, patients overwhelmingly preferred their doctors to be dressed in white coat and tie over scrubs or business suits. Only 2% of the patients preferred their doctors to be dressed casually in T-shirts and jeans. Early on in a patient-doctor interaction, the patient forms an opinion about the knowledge and skills of their doctor and this perception is highly influenced by how the doctor is dressed. The clinical setting also affects the dress code preference; patients in the surgical suites and wound care clinics preferring scrubs, while those in out-patient settings like white coats. Not only does the dress code of their doctor affected patient-physician relationship, it may even affect the patient outcomes, such as quality of life, depression, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and hemoglobin A1c levels. The patient-preferred dress code for their doctors also was influenced by the race of their doctors. Black doctors were about 5 times more likely to be preferred in white coats compared to white doctors. The survey was conducted in dermatology patients but according to the authors the results could be extrapolated to other settings as well. The authors concluded that physicians should consider their dress code carefully to build better relationship with their patients. The survey results seem logical. In all aspects of life, we have certain preferences for the appropriate dress code. We have preferred appropriate dress codes for work, church, home, and so on. So, it should not be surprising that we prefer others to follow similar rules. The white coat is the universal representation of a physician, so when we see an individual in a white coat, we automatically perceive the health advise to be credible. A business suit on the other hand, is associated with commercial entities, so a doctor in a business suit may convey a strong commercial vibe. As patients we think of our doctors to be concerned with our health and not commercial gain. Hence the preference to not see doctors in business suits. The authors made an observation that "nearly three quarters of dermatologists on their own websites are not dressed with white coats, so even before a patient goes to see a physician, they may already be biased in not the best way they could be, towards that physician." Obviously, this is true for the initial interaction only. Over a period of time, patient built relationship with their physicians and will have other ways to form an opinion. So, doctors should consider updating their web-sites with pictures in white coats.