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Title: Patients’ Attitudes Regarding Characteristics of Physicians in Ophthalmology
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Authors:
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Lauren Mason (Corresponding Author), BS1
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John Mason III, MD1,2
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Corresponding Author Contact Information:
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Address: 700 18th Street South, Suite 707, Birmingham, AL 35233
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Phone: 205-918-0047
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Email:
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Lauren Mason: laurenmason13@gmail.com
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John Mason: masonallmason@yahoo.com
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Retina Consultants of Alabama P.C., Birmingham, AL
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Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
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Abstract
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Objective: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed to assess the patient
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perceptions and attitudes towards physicians’ physical appearance and education in the
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Vitreoretinal Specialist clinic setting. Two hundred and ninety-five consecutive patients from
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Retina Consultants of Alabama, a Vitreoretinal Specialty practice at UAB Callahan Eye
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Foundation Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, completed a questionnaire assessing their
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preferences regarding physicians’ appearance and education, conducted from March 2015 to
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December 2015. The main outcome measure was to determine if physical attributes and
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education are factors in patient preference for their Vitreoretinal Specialist. Statistical analysis
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was performed to compare patient demographics (gender, race, and age) with each physical
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attribute.
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Results: There were no significant desirable or undesirable physical characteristics for a
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Vitreoretinal Specialist to exhibit in a clinical setting. However, the data indicated that there
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were trends in patient preferences for Vitreoretinal Specialist attire (209 (71%) of 295 patients
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prefer casual dress), physical appearance (212 (72%) and 240 (81%) of 295 patients had no
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preference as it pertains to long hair and facial hair), and medical education (171 (58%) of 298
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patients preferred their Vitreoretinal Specialist to be actively involved in research and continued
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education). Gender, race, and age were not significantly associated with patients’ perceptions
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toward the Vitreoretinal Specialist’s physical appearance and education. Vitreoretinal
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Specialist’s clothing choice and physical attributes do not significantly influence patients’
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opinion of the care they receive, although patients prefer their Vitreoretinal Specialist to be
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involved in research and continuing education.
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Keywords: Patient Survey, Vitreoretinal Specialist appearance, Vitreoretinal Specialist attire,
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Vitreoretinal Specialist education
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Introduction
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The role of a physician in any facet of medicine is to to effectively prevent and treat disease by
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making the patient needs a priority. Research has shown that a patient’s initial encounter with a
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medical care provider is essential for establishing the communication and trust crucial to
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providing optimal care.1 Studies have shown a strong correlation between physician appearance
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and patient’ initial perceptions of physician competence. 2,3,4
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Furthermore, societal norms and traditions have paved the foundation for shaping the way that
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patients view their physicians’ appearance in the workplace. Physician dress and the impact it
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has on the physician-patient relationship can be traced back to Hippocrates, who claimed that the
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physician “must be clean in person, well dressed, and anointed with sweet smelling unguents…”5
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Studies from two decades ago found that patients preferred and gave more positive feedback
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towards traditional physician attire, including a white coat, nametag, and business casual attire.6
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However, the preferred public image of how physicians in the United States should look may
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have changed in recent years with the evolution in technology, medicine, and American culture.
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Although previous studies have looked at patient preference on physician appearance in several
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different areas of medicine such as primary care and dermatology,6,7 this is the first study to
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apply this data to the field of Vitreoretinal disease and surgery. The purpose of our study was to
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assess patient perceptions with regard to physician appearance and determine whether physician
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appearance is significantly associated with overall patient satisfaction.
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Main Text
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Methodology
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Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and informed consent was obtained prior to collection
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of patient data from the University of Alabama-Birmingham IRB. 295 consecutive patients
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participated in a cross-sectional survey assessing preferences for desirable and undesirable
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characteristics for their Vitreoretinal Specialist. The study took place over 9 months, from March
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to December 2015, at Retina Consultants of Alabama at UAB Hospital. Each patient completed
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