Nursing dress code and perception of a nurse by patients

Abstract

Introduction. Professional image of the nurse in the opinion of the patient community is conditioned by many variables, including professional attire. A worthy representation of the nurse profession is the responsibility of all those who care for the patient.Aim. Determining the impact of dress code on shaping the professional image of nurses in the opinion of patients.Material and methods. Non-systematic review method of the literature available. The data was obtained by searching online databases, such as: Google Scholar, PubMed, CINAHL Complete as well as electronic resources of nursing magazines.Results. In the perception of hospitalized patients, the nursing dress code affects the level of trust in those who care for patients, it also constitutes an important element in assessing their professionalism, knowledge or confidence when performing specific medical interventions. Adapted to the needs, a suitably selected style of professional attire of a nurse employed in a given health care facility enables her proper identification of them against the background of other members of the therapeutic team or administrative employees. In addition, the comfort of nurses is a significant factor for patients in dress code strategy planning; it often determines professionalism and quality of services provided.Conclusions. There is a relationship between the external appearance of nurses and their professional image and the patients’ perception of their professional skills as well as the level of their professionalism. Dress code in a health care facility may constitute a significant element of image policy for both a health care facility itself and a group of nurses.

An Integrative Review of Body Art in Nursing

“…11,18,[31][32][33] Other nonresearch articles included 2 case studies, 8,16 a legal commentary, 34 2 specific to nursing issues, 10,17 and an editorial. 35 Also included were 2 literature reviews, 13,15 a policy development piece, 14 an evidence-based practice (EBP) project, 36 and EBP recommendations. 37 Through independent analysis of the articles by 2 nurse researchers, followed by iterative team discussions, 3 broad themes and 8 subthemes emerged (see Supplemental Digital Content, Figure 2, available at: http://links.lww.com/NE/B83): (1) level of acceptability (subthemes of positive perception, stigmatizing, and personal meaning); (2) professional image (subthemes of appearance matters and policy); and (3) infection concern (subthemes of hygiene, contamination, and injury potential).…”

“…Professional image was exemplified in the subthemes of appearance matters and policy through 7 of the 9 research articles [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and 16 of the 21 nonresearch articles. 7,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]32,[34][35][36] Nurses' appearance conveys professionalism, trustworthiness, confidence, and compassion. 27,28 Research linked nurses' professional image and patients' perceptions of competency in care and comfort with the care provided.…”

“…Multiple commentaries corroborated that appearance matters in the professional image. 7,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]17,31,36 Literature reviews verified the relationship between external appearance of nurses and their professional image and the patients' perception of their skill and level of professionalism. 13,14 The public equated nurses with body art as less professional.…”

“…In nursing practice, the presence of tattoos may equate to less professionalism 7,8 and a dress code prohibiting body art is perceived as reflective of a competent profession. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] There is no correlation between visible tattoos and quality of patient care. 16,17 Dress code policies should reflect a balance between professionalism and a freedom of self-expression 18 as tattoos can have deep personal meaning and can be a form of personal or even professional expression, with nursing-themed tattoos becoming increasingly popular.…”

Exploring the utility of nursing student‐led health fairs: Educating the college population

“…As nursing students discussed, one potential way to help build trust with the community is by wearing their uniforms to demonstrate their professional status. Previous studies have shown how the nurse uniform is associated with trust among patients (Küçük et al., 2015; Pawlowski et al., 2019). While insider status provides certain benefits, it also creates potential blind spots.…”