Patients' Attitude Toward Consultations by a Physician without a White Coat in Japan.

Abstract

Object To knowhow Japanese patients perceive their physicians without a white coat during consultations. Subjects and MethodsThe patients whovisited a university clinic were divided into two groups: those seen by a physician in a white coat (the white-coat group) and those seen by a physician in private clothes (the private-clothes group). Questionnaires were distributed to the patients, which asked the tension and satisfaction of consultations as well as their preference for physician's attire. The answers of the white-coat group were comparedwith those of the privateclothes group. Results The percentage of new patients whofelt tense during consultations was greater in the white-coat group (42%) than in the private-clothes group (33%). Seventy-one percent of the patients in the white-coat group preferred physicians in a white coat whereas only 39 % preferred so in the private-clothes group (p<0.0001). However, the degree of patients' satisfaction for the consultation showed no statistical difference between the groups. Sixty-nine percent of the patients older than or equal to 70 years preferred a white coat while 52 percent of the patients younger than 70 years preferred so (p=0.002). Conclusion Physician's white coats did not in fluence the satisfaction with the consultations for most Japanese patients in a university clinic, although elderly patients as well as those seen by a physician in a white coat tended to prefer the white coat to the private clothes. Furthermore, practice without a white coat might reduce patients' tension during their first consultation. (Internal Medicine 38: 533-536, 1999)

Patients' Perspective on Doctor's Attire

“…Regarding the age distribution, most of our patients are within 45 years which is similar to study performed by Najafi et al 13 and McKinsty and Wang. 4 Likewise the distribution of sex and educational status is similar to study performed by Najafi et al 13 Regarding the wearing of white coat by doctor, 82.5% of our patients answered that the doctors should wear white coat which was similar to study performed by Najafi et al 13 and Ikusaka et al 14 Whereas it was differ from the study performed by Douse et al 11 which showed only 56% of patients favoured doctors wearing white coats. Our study also differ from other different study performed at different places.…”

Are we dressed to impress? A descriptive survey assessing patients' preference of doctors' attire in the hospital setting

“…5 A recent study found that 56% of patients preferred doctors to wear white coats, 6 a preference supported by other studies. 1,[7][8][9][10][11] Most found that the white coat improved many aspects of doctor-patient interaction and that the doctor was seen to be more professional, scientific, hygienic and easily identifiable. 7,8 But do patients care or even notice?…”

Exploring Patients Perceptions of Their Surgeon Based on Attire

“…The white coat (combined with formal wear or scrubs), was the preferred attire in all circumstances. Many previous studies across specialties and across the world have shown a preference among patients for doctors who wear white coats [1,[3][4][5][7][8][9][10] . While some patients prefer the white coat for its ability to inspire confidence and ease communication [7,11] others feel it is an important means of identification distinct from the name tag [1] .…”