For more than a century, physicians have worn the white coat as a symbol of cleanliness, scientific authority, and professional competence. It has also been closely associated with patients' trust. However, surgical scrubs have increasingly emerged as an alternative to the traditional white coat. A study examined whether these two forms of physician attire influence patient trust.
Researchers used the Modified Trust in Physician Scale (TIPS) to survey 274 hospitalized English and Spanish speaking adults at discharge or after completion of their physician's shift. During the study, five physicians alternated weekly between wearing traditional attire with a white coat and surgical scrubs without a white coat. The study found no significant difference in patient trust between physicians wearing white coats and those wearing surgical scrubs without a white coat, with mean TIPS scores of…
