Influence of White Coat on Communication During General and Family Medicine Consultation: Interventional Study

Introduction: The white coat is a physician attire worn since the antiquity time. Several studies in other countries have shown that it influences doctor-patient's relationship and that there is some kind of preference over what a doctor should wear. In Portugal there are few data on this subject.

Objectives: Investigate the influence of the white coat on satisfaction, confidence and empathy in relation to patients. Secondly, its impact on what patients perceive about medical knowledge, patients' opinions about medical clothing, and the level of satisfaction and comfort of physicians in consultation with or without the use of a white coat.

Methods: An interventional study with a quasi-randomized representative sample of the population attending the health centers belonging to ARS Centro, consisting of 286 participants. The investigators collaborated with 16 doctors, male and female and of different ages which usually wore white coat in their medical appointments. The investigators included the first and last patients in consultation every day for 10 consecutive days, and every other day the doctor consulted with the use of a white coat or without the use of a white coat. At the end of the consultation, a questionnaire was distributed to the patient. This questionnaire had simple questions with a Lickert scale response, the portuguese version of the scale "Trust in physician" to assess the trust in the physician, both globally and in the medical-patient's relationship and their medical competences, and the JSPPPE-VP scale to evaluate empathy. A questionnaire was also distributed to the physician in which the doctor indicated what type of attire that used on that appointment and how satisfied and comfortable was with the consultation.