Does wearing a necktie influence patient perceptions of emergency department care?
Publication/Presentation Date
7-1-1998
Abstract
We conducted a prospective study of discharged emergency department (ED) patients to determine the effect of wearing a necktie by emergency physicians (EPs) had on patients' impression of their medical care. All male EPs were assigned randomly by dates to wear a necktie or no necktie, and the attire worn was otherwise similar in all respects. The study was conducted at a community teaching hospital with an Emergency Medicine residency and an annual census of 40,000. A total of 316 patients were surveyed. There were no statistically significant differences between patient groups in any of the five areas surveyed, including patient perception of physicians' appearance. Nearly 30% of patients incorrectly identified their doctor as wearing a necktie when no necktie was worn, and the perception of tie wearing was correlated with a positive impression of physician appearance. Wearing or not wearing a necktie did not significantly affect patients' impression of their physician or the care they received. However, patients seemingly preferred the appearance of physicians who were perceived to wear neckties.
Volume
16
Issue
4
First Page
541
Last Page
543
ISSN
0736-4679
Published In/Presented At
Pronchik, D. J., Sexton, J. D., Melanson, S. W., Patterson, J. W., & Heller, M. B. (1998). Does wearing a necktie influence patient perceptions of emergency department care?. The Journal of emergency medicine, 16(4), 541–543. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0736-4679(98)00036-5
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
9696167
Department(s)
Department of Emergency Medicine
Document Type
Article