Need some information if possible please...

I am hoping to find information about the perception of uniforms in a workplace. In particular, a healthcare workplace and the attitude of doctors and patients towards other healthcare professionals in uniform (compared to say business-like attire). I have already done a small quick search on some of the journals I have but I dont have any access to psychology journals, which is where I think I might find such studies.


p.s. I would particularly like evidence-based papers against the idea of uniform!

From what I remember from my a-level older people tend to prefer a doctor to wear a shirt, tie and doctor's coat whereas the "yoof of today" would be fine with a doctor in jeans and t-shirt sat on the desk shouting "wassup with that cold yo?"

Well that kind of thing anyway

cheers ninehigh. dont suppose you have any papers that can back this up? going to a meeting about it so want to have evidence to support my cause

I only found one and don't have full text for the article but here's something to work with:

Patient perceptions of professionalism: implications for residency education.
Wiggins MN
Medical Education 2009 Jan 43 (1): 28-33

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was three-fold: to identify which behavioural, communicative and personal presentation characteristics most closely represent patients' views of professionalism; to determine whether patients perceive resident doctors as displaying these characteristics, and to explore whether or not resident doctor professional behaviour creates an impression of clinical competence to the degree where patients perceive a decreased need for Attending Physician involvement. METHODS We carried out a descriptive, crosssectional study at an academic centre. An anonymous, voluntary four-question survey with multiple items was administered to all adult patients or the parents of paediatric patients attending an ophthalmology clinic who were seen by a resident doctor followed by an Attending Physician. RESULTS A total of 133 of 148 (90%) surveys were returned. All the itemised characteristics of professionalism were reported to be important or very important to the majority of participants. The most important were: 'Pays attention to my concerns' (90%); 'Is compassionate' (83%), and 'Speaks in terms that I can understand' (83%). Although 85% of respondents reported that resident doctors demonstrated all the characteristics of professionalism listed on the survey, 83% of participants stated that it was important or very important that residents have Attending Physician involvement. CONCLUSIONS Patient-centred components of professionalism, such as communication skills and compassion, are more important to patients than social behaviours, such as appearance and acknowledgement of family members. Resident doctors are perceived to display a high level of professionalism during patient care. Patients clearly desire direct resident doctor supervision by an Attending Physician.

ISSN: 0308-0110

Found some more papers using Google Scholar (a new service - click on More and Scholar from their main page).

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/331/7531/1524
http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/5/391

Sorry nothing to back it up with, it was about 12 years ago!

cheers iank.

no worries ninehigh.