Physicians may want to dig a little deeper into their closets, or grab their white coats on the way out of the operating room, if they want patients to view them favorably, according to the largest-ever study of patient preferences for doctors’ attire.
Physicians may want to dig a little deeper into their closets, or grab their white coats on the way out of the operating room, if they want patients to view them favorably, according to the largest-ever study of patient preferences for doctors’ attire.
In fact, what medical doctors wear may matter more than most doctors — or even patients — might think, say the researchers behind the new paper in BMJ Open.
Based on the work, researchers call for more hospitals, health systems and practice groups to look at their dress standards for physicians or to create them if needed.
Just over half of the 4,062 patients surveyed in the clinics and hospitals of 10 major medical centers said that what physicians wear is important to them — and more than one-third said it influences their satisfaction with their care. Patient preferences matter in part because hospitals are paid by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid based in part on scores on patient satisfaction surveys.
Read more at Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
Image: The study looked at how patients view different forms of attire for physicians in different settings and specialties. (Credit: University of Michigan)
