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. 2023 Sep 30:10:23743735231203115.
doi: 10.1177/23743735231203115. eCollection 2023.

Patient Perception of Physician Attire Before and After the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Began

Mary S Hedges  1 , Leila M Tolaymat  2 , Nicole K Haskell  3 , Cara Prier  1 , Ashley L Walker  4 , Claire Haga  4 , Zhuo Li  5 , Mingyuan Yin  6 , Mindy McManus  7 , Nancy Dawson  8
Affiliations

Patient Perception of Physician Attire Before and After the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Began

Mary S Hedges et al. J Patient Exp. .

Abstract

Introduction: This study evaluated patient preference of physician attire both before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic began. The primary outcome was patient preference of physician attire in 2017 compared to 2022 survey cohorts. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study performed at a single-site academic institution in the United States using patient survey materials. In total, 339 patients were included in the study, 161 from 2017 and 178 from 2022. Key Points: There was a statistically significant decrease in patient preference for formal attire in the clinical settings of primary care, hospital, and overall. Male patient preference for formal attire declined in primary care, emergency room, and overall; whereas female patient preference for formal attire declined in the hospital setting. For all genders, the odds ratio was statistically significantly lower in the settings of primary care clinic, hospital, and overall clinical settings. Conclusions: Patient preference for physicians wearing formal attire has decreased significantly since the COVID-19 global pandemic began.

Keywords: COVID-19; patient satisfaction; physician attire.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Survey given to patients in the primary care setting.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Bar graph of patient preference of physician attire—all gender, by clinical setting, 2017 versus 2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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