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. 2008 Fall;60(4):349-57.
doi: 10.3138/physio.60.4.349. Epub 2008 Nov 12.

Perceptions of outpatients regarding the attire of physiotherapists

Erin Mercer  1 , Marilyn Mackay-Lyons, Nicki Conway, Jennifer Flynn, Chris Mercer
Affiliations

Perceptions of outpatients regarding the attire of physiotherapists

Erin Mercer et al. Physiother Can. 2008 Fall.

Abstract
in English, French

Purpose: This study investigated perceptions of patients regarding physiotherapists' attire.

Methods: Three hundred patients in three publicly funded outpatient physiotherapy clinics were asked to complete a questionnaire, ranking four photographed modes of attire (lab coat, tailored dress, "scrubs," and jeans) in terms of professionalism, preference, and appropriateness and rating their level of agreement with four statements about physiotherapists' attire.

Results: Response rate was 63.7 %. The lab coat was ranked most professional, tailored dress most preferred, and jeans least professional and least preferred. Although jeans were deemed inappropriate (p < 0.001), strong support was shown for wearing jeans on "casual day" (p = 0.001). Age of respondents influenced the perception of the appropriateness of wearing jeans (p = 0.007 for male therapist; p = 0.017 for female therapist); only the cohort <36 years considered jeans appropriate apparel. Overall exposure to physiotherapists (number of lifetime visits) affected patients' perceptions of the importance of attire (p = 0.039) and the appropriateness of wearing jeans (p = 0.018): as number of visits increased, perceived importance decreased and perceived propriety of jeans increased.

Conclusion: The findings of this study, the first to examine patients' opinions of physiotherapists' attire, suggest that outpatients made clear distinctions between what they perceived as professional and what they preferred, as well as between the appropriateness of physiotherapists' wearing jeans in general and the appropriateness of their doing so on "casual day." Age and exposure to physiotherapists influenced patients' perceptions of attire.

Objet :: Cette étude a investigué la perception qu’ont les patients de la tenue des physiothérapeutes.

Méthodologie :: On a demandé à 300 patients de trois cliniques de physiothérapie externes publiques de remplir un questionnaire, classant la photographie de quatre tenues (blouse de laboratoire, tenue habillée, uniforme [« scrubs »] et jeans) en termes de professionnalisme, de préférence et de convenance et d’évaluer le niveau d’acquiescement avec les quatre énoncés à propos de la tenue des physiothérapeutes.

Résultats :: Le taux de réponse a été de 63,7 %. La blouse de laboratoire a connu la cote la plus élevée de l’aspect professionnel, la tenue habillée était la plus préférée et le jeans le moins professionnel et le moins aimé. Bien que le jeans ait été considéré comme peu convenable (p < 0,001), le port du jeans pour « la journée du décontracté » a suscité un soutien solide (p = 0,001). L’âge des répondants a joué sur la perception de la convenance du port du jeans (p = 0,007 pour l’homme physiothérapeute ; p = 0,017 pour la femme physiothérapeute) ; seule la cohorte des < 36 ans considérait le jeans comme une tenue convenable. La visibilité totale des physiothérapeutes (nombre de visites à vie) a joué sur la perception qu’ont les patients de l’importance de la tenue (p = 0,039) et de la convenance du port du jeans (p = 0,018), de sorte qu’avec le nombre de visites, l’importance a diminué et la convenance du jeans a augmenté.

Conclusion :: Les résultats de cette étude, la première à sonder l’opinion qu’ont les patients de la tenue des physiothérapeutes, suggèrent que les patients externes ont établi des distinctions manifestes entre ce qu’ils percevaient comme tenue professionnelle par rapport à leur préférence, ainsi que la convenance des physiothérapeutes qui portent le jeans en général par rapport à « la journée du décontracté ». L’âge des patients et le nombre de visites aux physiothérapeutes ont joué sur la perception des patients concernant la tenue.

Keywords: attire; patient satisfaction; physical therapist; professionalism; questionnaire.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Photographs of a male physiotherapist (A) and a female physiotherapist (B) modelling the four modes of attire: (1) lab coat, (2) tailored dress, (3) surgical “scrubs,” and (4) jeans. The photographs in the actual questionnaires were larger (3 × 4") and were presented in random order
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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