The success of therapy also depends on the doctor’s clothing – this was the conclusion of a survey conducted by the University Hospital Zurich. Also, the right outfit helps the patients to assign the respective person to his medical profession.
Polo shirt or white coat, pants or shorts? What doctors wear is not a question of aesthetics, but has a significant influence on the success of the therapy. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Hospital Hygiene Department of the University Hospital Zurich (USZ).
The research team asked 834 patients of the outpatient clinics for dermatology, neurology and infectious diseases at the USZ by means of a standardized, anonymous questionnaire how they perceive the clothing of physicians. Along with the questionnaire, participants were presented with pictures of male and female physicians in various clothing combinations. “In the study, we investigated which clothing worn by physicians in the hospital inspires confidence in patients, with which clothing they experience the physician as approachable and caring, and whether they also attribute professional competence to a particular outfit,” explains Prof. Dr. Hugo Sax, Head of Hospital Hygiene at the USZ.
Doctor’s coat in hospital still standard
The result: 36% of respondents said that the appearance of the doctor was important to them. The combination of a white top and the traditional doctor’s coat scored particularly well – across all categories of “trust,” “accessibility,” “caring” and “expertise.” But the white doctor’s coat is not just a tradition or a status symbol, says Prof. Sax. Because people with different medical professions appear in the hospital, the clothing helps to recognize their function.
About a quarter of respondents said that clothing also influenced how satisfied they were with treatment overall. There was an age difference here: people over 65 pointed to this aspect more frequently than younger people.
Adapt clothing to the environment
The study by Sax and colleagues again indicated that patients do perceive physician appearance. “Because it can even have an impact on the success of the treatment, it pays to specifically adapt the clothing to the environment and the expectations associated with it,” explains Prof. Sax. This aspect has been given too little attention so far. The study results corroborate the findings of the thirty similar studies conducted so far on this topic.
By the way, which outfit is considered appropriate varies depending on the country and the environment. While in the U.S. doctors are dressed formally (shirt and tie under the gown) and nurses wear colored tops (“scrubs”), nurses in Switzerland are dressed in white. A casual, colorful style of dress is increasingly making its way into Swiss family doctor’s offices. Whether this ultimately has a positive effect on the doctor-patient relationship in the primary care setting has not yet been studied. But whether colored or plain white, ultimately more important than the color is that the clothes are clean and changed regularly.
Source: University Hospital Zurich
HAUSARZT PRAXIS 2019; 14(8): 4 (published 8/19/19, ahead of print).
