The appearance of a doctor as one of the main elements of communication with a patient

Introduction. A review of studies on the influence of a doctor’s appearance on the level of patient trust showed that in most cases, the doctor’s appearance is of great importance to the patient. The reason for conducting this study was the lack of specific regulatory documents governing the appearance of pediatric health workers, and the small number of domestic studies devoted to the influence of a pediatrician’s external image on the level of children and their parents.

Aim. To study the perceptions, expectations and preferences of children and their parents regarding the appearance of medical professionals.

Material and methods. The subjects of the study are children from 3 to 17 years old (145 people) and their parents aged 20–57 years (175 people). Survey and image methods were applied. A standardized questionnaire was developed for the survey in two versions: for children and for adults. The children’s questionnaire was illustrated with photographs borrowed from the Internet.

Results. The image of the “ideal” doctor from the point of view of the majority of parents surveyed is a doctor of any gender and nationality, with natural hair color, without tattoos, piercings, brightly painted nails, bright makeup and large jewelry. The parents considered the color and material of the medical uniform, as well as the presence of a medical cap, not so important. The image of the “ideal” doctor from the point of view of the majority of the interviewed children: the doctor is a woman in a plain surgical suit, without a medical cap, with natural-colored hair removed, without tattoos on exposed areas of the body, with an acceptable bright manicure.

Conclusion. The conservative style of the doctor is preferred by all respondents. 82% of respondents attach great importance to the appearance of the doctor.

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