Exploring Patients Perceptions of Their Surgeon Based on Attire

Abstract

BackgroundSurgeons and residents at Queen's University affiliated hospitals wear a wide range of attire when performing clinical duties. With the absence of a dress code policy, health care practitioners have been observed wearing anything from shorts and sneakers to full business suit attire. The long white lab coat, a distinctive article which was once a staple in modern physician attire, has gradually been phased out, unpopular amongst newer medical graduates. A recent study in the UK demonstrated infection risk and heat factors to be the most commonly quoted reasons why more and more doctors have chosen to abandon the white coat [1] . Among health care providers, the topic of physician attire has long been discussed as an important factor in the patient's first impression of their doctor. As far back as the era of Hippocrates, certain benchmarks were set by the profession and physicians were advised to "be clean in person, well-dressed, and anointed with sweet smelling unguents" [2] . However, results of contempo- AbstractBackground: Physician attire is an important factor in the patient's first impression of their doctor. The purpose of this study is to determine how different forms of attire impact patient perceptions of their physicians within our orthopaedic clinics. Methods: A survey was distributed to new patients visiting an orthopedic surgery clinic within a 9 month span at a Canadian outpatient hospital. Each participant also received either a male or female photo sheet depicting 6 different forms of physician attire: Surgical scrubs and white coat, surgical scrubs alone, formal wear with white coat, formal wear alone, business suit and casual wear. Demographic data and general questions related to surgeon's attire as well as specific questions pertaining to the pictures provided were collected. Results: 100 patients responded to the survey. Most respondents agreed that physician attire was important and they expected their surgeon to be dressed professionally. Respondents felt strongly that there was an association between how a physician dressed and their perceived ability to dispense care. There was a significant preference for the surgeons wearing a white coat. The least favored surgeon attire overall was casual wear.