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A rose by any other name: psychiatric outpatients' views on dress and address

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Geraldine Swift ,
Mazly Zachariah  and
Patricia R Casey
Geraldine Swift
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, England
Patricia R Casey
Affiliation:
Department of Adult Psychiatry, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
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Abstract

Objectives: The manner in which psychiatrists dress and how they address their patients and in turn are addressed, may impact upon the therapeutic relationship. We undertook a survey to assess patients' preferences regarding doctors' dress and forms of address.

Method: Patients attending four psychiatric clinics were asked to complete a questionnaire asking them to rate photographs of doctors dressed in varying levels of formality, presented in random order.

Results: One hundred and forty-five patients agreed to take part. Patients had a strong preference for their consultants to wear suits but were more ambivalent about NCHDs' attire. When asked to rate the photographs in terms of competence and ease in forming a trusting relationship, suits scored the highest ratings. When asked to rate for friendliness, smart attire scored slightly higher than suits. Of the patients 50% said that they wished to be called by their first name and 50% said that they did not have a preference. Very few patients preferred to be addressed by title but 95% said that they tended to call their doctor by title. Of the respondents 70% preferred to be called patients rather than clients or service users.

Conclusions: The patients in this survey preferred their doctors to dress formally and were comfortable with an asymmetrical form of address.

Keywords

AttitudeClothingTitlesPatientPsychiatrist.
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , December 2000 , pp. 132 - 134
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

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