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Is Your Scrub Color Sending The Wrong Message? How Patients May Be Judging You Based on What You Wear!

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Is Your Scrub Color Sending The Wrong Message? How Patients May Be Judging You Based on What You Wear!

While many healthcare professionals may not give much thought to the colour of the scrubs they wear, a new study now shows that it may significantly impact how your patients perceive you. Your scrub colour may affect how they rate your characteristics, such as skill level and trustworthiness. 

First impressions matter, goes an adage. But scrub colours matter even more for healthcare professionals in a post-pandemic world. This can be attributed to the new significance during the pandemic, as changes were made to traditional medical dress codes.

While many healthcare professionals may not give much thought to the colour of the scrubs they wear, a new study now shows that it may significantly impact how your patients perceive you. Your scrub colour may affect how they rate your characteristics, such as skill level and trustworthiness. 

Crazy, right? 
Or is this just another influence from the popular Grey's Anatomy Series? Hold that thought. 

Researchers from the University of North Carolina conducted the study, which was published in JAMA Surgery. They wanted to see whether patients felt more comfortable with their doctors based on how they were dressed.

During the research study, participants were presented with eight images, four of a male clinician and four of a female clinician, each wearing light blue, navy blue, green, or black scrubs.

Blue scrubs were associated with being the most dependable, whereas the colour green was associated with caring the least about others.
Interestingly, the colour green was mostly associated with surgeons, with 45.1% of respondents selecting it for the male image and 41.6% for the female image.

Male and female physicians wearing black scrubs had the lowest ratings for each attribute examined, rated as the least compassionate, least trustworthy, least informed, and least skillful.

In the study, some participants thought that green scrubs bore an uncanny resemblance to the clothing worn by janitors. A few others claimed that the black scrubs exuded an air of deathliness, resembling a uniform worn by a mortician.

All said and done, can we conclude that building a connection between a clinician and a patient is not just based on concrete and measurable factors but may also be affected by invisible factors? The impression created by the colour of scrubs will vary depending on who is wearing it and the patient receiving the service, no? 

In other news, what is your favourite scrub colour?

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