How patients judge doctors by the colour of their scrubs: ‘Looks like a mortician’
Light blue is the safest choice if doctors want to be seen as caring, study shows
Courtesy of the pandemic, scrubs have become routine wear in many general practices.
But it seems choice of colour is as important as infection control when it comes to the comfy uniform, with a study showing patients are more likely to rate doctors as caring if their scrubs are blue.
Black scrubs get the thumbs down, according to a survey of 113 adults, with doctors donning this colour most likely to be seen as the least skilled.
Five participants also noted black scrubs “looked deathlike or like a mortician’s uniform”, say the University of North Carolina study authors.
