Breast radiologists can wear a variety of attire without negatively affecting patient expectations or affecting patient perception of radiologists' professionalism, according to findings published October 30 in Academic Radiology.
Researchers led by Derek Nguyen, MD, from Duke University in Durham, NC, found that while patients do care about the appearance of a breast radiologist, the actual attire may not matter.
“For breast radiologists, as long as their attire is professionally appropriate, this will meet patient expectations,” Nguyen told AuntMinnie.com.
With a growing focus on patient-centered care, including comfort and satisfaction, previous studies have shown that physician attire significantly impacts patients’ satisfaction with their healthcare providers. Over the years, physician attire has shifted from business formal to more casual attire.
Breast radiologists frequently interact with patients, including ones they have not previously met. This means that radiologists have a short amount of time to make an impression on patients -- including during stressful times when discussing worrisome imaging findings.
Nguyen and colleagues sought to evaluate patient preferences for the attire and appearances of breast radiologists. They included survey data from 957 patients with an average age of 57 years who underwent mammography exams.
The team found that over half of respondents (52.5%) agreed or strongly agreed that the radiologist’s appearance mattered, while 28% felt indifferent. The group also found that patients with higher education levels felt less strongly about the radiologist’s appearance. This included 63.3% of patients with less than a college level caring about appearance compared with 53.5% of patients with a college or vocational degree and 47.4% with a graduate degree.
The researchers also reported the following findings:
- 68.9% of respondents felt indifferent about a breast radiologist wearing a white coat, and 77.1% felt indifferent about male-presenting breast radiologists wearing a tie, without significant demographic differences.
- 60.1% of respondents either prefer or strongly prefer all breast radiologists wearing scrubs when performing procedures, while 39.6% were indifferent.
- 64% of respondents preferred scrubs for male-presenting breast radiologists while 64.9% felt the same for female-presenting radiologists.
Nguyen wrote that based on these findings, radiologists should keep in mind that patients may not have a singular preference when it comes to what they perceive professional attire should be.
“Prior traditional, single dress code policies for breast radiologists could be updated to accommodate current varied patient preferences,” he said.
Nguyen added that conversely, patients should keep in mind that one of the main goals of breast radiologists is to provide an environment that is safe and comfortable.
“Therefore, the type of professional attire that the breast radiologist wears is their attempt at starting the patient interaction on the right footing,” he told AuntMinnie.com.
The full report can be found here.
