Influence of the Optomotrist's Attire in addition to white coat on doctor-patient relationships

Background: This study is a continuation of a project titled "Influence of Optometrist' s Attire on the Doctor-Patient Relationship." The goal of this study is to extrapolate upon the findings that patients prefer their optometrist in a white coat by introducing scrubs as an option compared to professional attire. If successful, this study will increase our understanding ofthe optimal attire for an optometrist in order to further improve the doctor patient relationship. Methods: Volunteers of this study were given surveys containing one question, "Which attire option would you prefer for your optometrist?" and two pictures. One photo displayed an optometrist with professional attire and a white coat and another photo displayed an optometrist with scrubs and a white coat. Half of the participants were shown photos of a female in both attire options and half were shown photos of a male. Survey data was recorded in an Excel document. One hundred patients over the age of eighteen from the University Eye Center in Big Rapids, Michigan participated in the study. Results: Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were used to determine patient preference for doctor attire considering each gender separately. Patients preferred professional attire to scrubs in addition to white coat for both male and female optometrists. This preference was not statistically significant between genders. Conclusions: Optometrists can be informed by this study to enhance their patient appeal and professionalism. Our results indicate that a white coat with professional attire is the ideal ensemble to optimize the doctor-patient relationship.