Patient perception of clinicians’ scrub colors

“A 2023 letter published in JAMA Surgery examined patient preferences regarding the color of scrubs physicians wore and found that patients most identified physicians wearing green scrubs as surgeons and those wearing blue scrubs to be the most caring, whereas those wearing black scrubs were associated mostly with negative characteristics (least knowledgeable, skilled, trustworthy, and caring)

Firouzbakht, P. K., Zhang, A., Nguyen, D. C., Slovacek, C., Daytz, A. E., Tanna, N., & Chen, K. (2024). Public Perception of Scrub Color and Style in Plastic Surgery. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open, 12(6), e5888.

Roskowinski, Keri Ann, “Implementation of a Nonverbal Scrub Cap Identification System to Improve Communication and Perception of Patient Safety Among Unfamiliar, De-identified Staff Members in the Operating Room.” (2022). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 10194.

Cham, P., Laventhal, N., Burrows, H., Chopra, V., & Weiner, G. M. (2023). Parent preferences for neonatal intensive care unit physician attire: a cross-sectional study. American Journal of Perinatology, 40(08), 898-905.

Pearce, M., Del Guidice, M., Kinzey, A., Knight, G., Cassidy, C., Farrell, K., & Hatfield, L. A. (2014). Color coding nurse uniforms. Nursing management, 45(2), 14-20.

Khorasani, P., Kamrani, A., Khaze, S. M., & Ghasemi, H. (2025). Nurses’ attitudes toward professional attire: a cross-sectional study of preferences for scrubs versus white coats. BMC nursing, 24(1), 976.

Pullam, T. (2024). Nursing dress code: Explaining varying policies. Nursing Management, 55(5), 48-50.

Hribar, C. A., Chandran, A., Piazza, M., & Quinsey, C. S. (2023). Association Between Patient Perception of Surgeons and Color of Scrub Attire. JAMA surgery, 158(4), 421–423

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