Physicians’ dress code directly affects patients’ perceptions of professionalism, trust and communication, according to a study published in The BMJ.
The study, a systematic review of studies from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar from January 2015 to June 2025, was conducted by researchers at Hwasung Medi-Science University in Hwaseon-si, South Korea, but has implications for U.S. physicians.
The research focused on 28studies that evaluated patients’ preferences and evaluations of physicians’ attire within different clinical settings.
Here are eight takeaways from the research:
1. In primary care, patients preferred a combination of casual attire and white coats, which “reflects the knowledge that primary care environments encourage long-term patient-physician relationships and foster effective communication,” the researchers wrote. This suggests that physicians may opt for more “approachable and accessible” clothing in these settings.
2. In emergency rooms, however, patients preferred physicians dressed in scrubs or white coats.
3. Preferences also varied by specialty. For obstetrics and gynecology as well as ophthalmology, patients preferred physicians in white coats.
4. For breast radiology, patients preferred physicians in scrubs.
5. For surgeons, preferred shirts, ties and white coats.
6. “Research indicates that patients view physician attire not only as a matter of personal style but also as a vital element in assessing trust and professionalism,” the researchers wrote.
7. In addition to variance by medical specialty, factors such as age, gender, geography and cultural background also played into the relationship between physician attire and patient perception, indicating an “attachment to tradition and treatment environments, which influence expectations regarding professionalism and competence.
8. For example, eight studies in the review focused on clothing preferences with relation to gender specifically, and found a preference for male physicians to wear suits. Those studies also preferred that female surgeons wear white coats instead of scrubs, compared with being dressed in suits or casual attire.
