The way female physicians dress significantly influences perceptions of competence and professionalism, highlighting the gendered expectations that patients hold
Janghyeon Kim, Yan Ba, Jee-Young Kim, Bo-Young Youn
Since the publication of a previous comprehensive review of the published research on the impact of doctors’ attire at work, which highlighted the significant role this has in patient satisfaction, trust, and adherence to medical advice, healthcare practices and societal expectations have evolved, they explain. The researchers therefore wanted to update those findings, broadening the scope to include diverse clinical contexts, in a bid to gain a deeper understanding of how doctors’ attire might influence interactions with patients and treatment outcomes. They scoured research databases for relevant studies published between January 2015 and August 2024. From an initial haul of 724 studies, 32 were eligible for inclusion in the review.
Most of the studies were carried out in the USA (17); two each came from Japan, China, and Pakistan; and the rest were carried out in Indonesia, India, Ethiopia, Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Switzerland. Clinical setting had some bearing on patient preferences. For example, palliative care doctors’ attire didn’t affect patients’ trust, or assessments of the practitioner’s capabilities, but patients preferred emergency care doctors to wear white coats or scrubs. And they were happy for primary care doctors to be dressed casually and to wear white coats. Specialty also seemed to influence perceptions, with patient preferences for doctors to wear white coats observed in orthopaedics, surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, and obstetrics and gynaecology, for example.
The included studies indicated a distinct preference among patients for male doctors to wear suits. One study indicated that accessories, such as watches and glasses worn by male doctors significantly enhanced perceived professionalism and trustworthiness, which aligns with the findings of previously published studies, note the researchers. The UK, however, has implemented a ‘bare below the elbows’ policy, which bans doctors from wearing white coats, watches, ties and long sleeves to minimise infection risks.