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Nonverbal communication by healthcare providers, including their style of dress, can affect patients' comfort level and influence optimal care. In several studies in the 1980s, investigators found that patients strongly preferred providers who dressed professionally. In this recently published study, researchers assessed patients' opinions about providers' physical characteristics in 2000 to determine whether preferences have changed.
Questionnaires on preferences regarding providers' age, sex, race, and style of dress were completed by 275 of 315 patients who visited 2 noncosmetic dermatologic clinical practices during a single calendar week. The same physicians staffed both practices: a part-time private practice (84 patients; 77% response…