Do Not Be the Man (or Woman) in Black
March 1, 2023
A few years ago, there was a great hue and cry about whether surgeons should still wear their time-honored skull caps. There was some concern the caps did not cover enough of their hair, but surgeons mutinied, and the skull caps remain the badge of their profession.
Now, it is the scrubs they wear, with researchers noting “an association between a physician’s attire and patient confidence in them, as well as patients’ ability to perceive clinician trustworthiness, intelligence, and empathy, with scrubs garnering favor.”1
“Our study served as a way to open up the conversation around scrubs and the potential impact of their color on patients,” lead author Casey Hribar, BS, said in a statement.
Green and blue scrubs emerged as clear favorites, but black was seen as a negative — an untrustworthy color. “Several participants even reported that they felt black scrubs reminded them of ‘death’ or a mortician’s uniform,” Hribar said.
REFERENCE
- Hribar CA, Chandran A, Piazza M, Quinsey CS. Association between patient perception of surgeons and color of scrub attire. JAMA Surg 2023;e225837.
A few years ago, there was a great hue and cry about whether surgeons should still wear their time-honored skull caps. Now, it is the scrubs they wear, with researchers noting “an association between a physician’s attire and patient confidence in them, as well as patients’ ability to perceive clinician trustworthiness, intelligence, and empathy, with scrubs garnering favor.”
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