Challenging the Status Quo of Physician Attire in the Palliative Care Setting

Abstract

Background, Aim, and Hypothesis. This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the impact of a physician's attire on the perceptions of patients with cancer of compassion , professionalism, and physician preference. Our hypothesis was that patients would perceive the physician with formal attire as more compassionate than the physician wearing casual attire. Materials and Methods. One hundred five adult follow-up patients with advanced cancer were randomized to watch two standardized, 3-minute video vignettes with the same script, depicting a routine physician-patient clinic encounter. Videos included a physician in formal attire with tie and buttoned-up white coat and casual attire without a tie or white coat. Actors, patients, and investigators were all blinded to the purpose and videos watched, respectively. After each video, patients completed validated questionnaires rating their perception of physician compassion,