White Coats Increase Patient Trust
Abstract & Commentary
By Mary Elina Ferris, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Southern California. Dr. Ferris reports no financial relationship to this field of study.
Synopsis: Patients in an internal medicine outpatient clinic overwhelmingly preferred both male and female doctors in professional attire with a white coat, and were more willing to share their personal history with them.
Source: Rehman SU, et al. What to wear today? Effect of doctor's attire on the trust and confidence of patients. Am J Med. 2005;118:1279-1286.
Four hundred patients in a outpatient clinic waiting room were randomized to view photographs of male and female African-American and white physicians in 4 different dress styles, and then to complete a written survey about their preference in appearance and their willingness to discuss sensitive issues with the physician pictured. Respondents were 54% men, 38% African-American, 59% born in South Carolina, and with a mean age of 52.4 years. Only 5% of all respondents stated that appearance was not at all important.
White coats with professional dress were preferred by 76%, followed by surgical scrubs (10%), business dress (9%), and casual dress (5%). Both male and female patients gave similar rankings, although the white coat appearance of the female physician ranked higher in importance than for the male doctors. African-American and older age patients placed higher importance on physician appearance. Professional dress was clearly associated with more willingness to trust the physician and to share social, sexual, and psychological problems with them.
Commentary
It's probably no surprise to practicing physicians that the image we convey to our patients has an influence on our crucial and very personal relationship with them. Although this study reflected only the initial responses of older South Carolina residents, many studies over the years have confirmed that patients have an opinion about physician appearance, favoring the more traditional symbols of the profession such as white coat, conventional hair length, cleanliness, etc. In some situations, such as with adolescents, or in the emergency department, the white coat is not as important. Other items viewed positively have been nametags, age, body language and ethnicity to certain groups of patients.
Clothing choices for physicians really represents the more important issue of promoting confidence in the medical profession. Objective research confirms that more trust in the physician leads to better patient compliance with our recommendations and willingness to seek the care they need.1 Wearing a white coat seems to be a simple but important factor to use in promoting trust among many of our patients.
Reference
1. Trachtenberg F, et al. How patients' trust relates to their involvement in medical care. J Fam Pract. 2005;54:344-352.
Patients in an internal medicine outpatient clinic overwhelmingly preferred both male and female doctors in professional attire with a white coat, and were more willing to share their personal history with them.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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