If you have ever visited a health care facility, you’ve certainly noticed the stark difference between the attire of doctors and the rest of the staff.Although the doctors wear the normal clothes called scrubs, they are also seen wearing white coats, which is quite a common sight around the hospital. A study conducted suggested that 72% of the hospital doctors, as well as medical students, prefer to wear white coats for at least 75% of the time.It doesn’t stop there. Another study proved that even the patients feel a sense of security and prefer it when their attending doctors are seen in a formal attire paired with a white lab coat. They consider it to resemble professionalism and are more likely to trust the doctors or surgeons who practice medicine in that clothing. However, the minority that does not prefer the white coat follow the ‘bare below the elbow’ policy, which states that wearing short-sleeved attire reduces the risk of transferring germs.If you’ve got spare time and don’t know what to do, check out why do blind people wear sunglasses and why do donuts have holes.Why do doctors and scientists wear white coats?Whether it’s students at a medical school, doctors at hospitals, or scientists at a research center, a common feature among these three are their white lab coats. The question is, why do they wear them and is it compulsory? To begin with, the primary reason that any professional in the medical field wears a white coat is to protect themselves against spills but doctors are specifically known to wear them so that they are easily distinguished and recognized among other colleagues and patients.If you’re wondering when the medical profession decided to wear white coats, it all began in the late 18th century. In the past, it was common for fraudulent health care providers to practice non-traditional and non-scientific evidence-based miracle cures, which was a high risk to people’s lives. As a result, doctors ditched the street clothes and started wearing a uniform, lab coats, to mark their profession and help the patient identify them. However, the coats worn in the 1800s until the beginning of the 1900s were black. It was said to symbolize formality and was also used to pay tribute to the deceased. They practiced this because during the pre-modern medicine era, visiting a doctor meant that the patient was not going to make it for too long. Eventually, the discovery of the cholera infection led to the awareness of bacteria, and the scrubs of a medical professional were paired with white coats to keep a check on cleanliness. The traditional white coat is made from material that can be washed at high temperatures for better sanitation such as cotton, linen, or a cotton-polyester blend. Over time, wearing a white coat as a medical professional was recognized as respectful and professional, which is why recently it has become popular for a medical school to host the white coat ceremony to mark the transition of medical students from pre-clinical to clinical health sciences.What does the white coat symbolize?Apart from the clothing of a priest, the only time a professional is seen wearing a white coat that is a symbol or has a meaning is a doctor or scientist. In the past century, the white coat was used as a symbol for the medical profession to avoid the patient from falling into traps set up by snake-oil healers. Now, a white coat has become a symbol of cleanliness, professionalism, trust, and care in a doctor-patient relationship. Overall, it’s more about the psychological perception than actual meaning.The shift from black coats of doctors to the present white coat took place when Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, was inspired by the theory of germs by Louis Pasteur and encouraged other medical professionals to use contamination-free surgery practices, this included the white coat. As a result, around 1889, nurses and doctors began using washed white coats and antiseptic agents on their hands as well as the patient when operating. Apart from symbolizing purity, transformation, and hope, the white fabric was also the cheapest because it did not require dyeing. In addition, wearing white coats made it easier to spot chemical stains, fluids, or even blood, which is quite a crucial step to prevent any infection or contamination while operating on patients. To conclude, the doctor’s white coat is used more because of practicality and simplicity than symbolism. However, many doctors such as psychiatrists or pediatricians prefer not to wear a white coat and instead choose formal attire. The justification for this choice is because of a psychological fear among patients known as the white coat syndrome. First recorded in 1896, white coat syndrome is said to make some patients anxious and increase their blood pressure when they see their doctor in a white coat. Similarly, another reason why doctors and many hospitals have discontinued the use of white coats is because of sanitation.Do doctors wear white coats during surgery?Through education as well as television, we have been told that a distinctive feature of a doctor is their stethoscope and white coat, but do they actually use these coats everywhere? Let’s find out. The primary clothing worn by doctors or nurses during surgery is known as scrubs, which are usually blue or green. Very rarely will you see a doctor wearing anything besides scrubs because of sanitary purposes, but studies have shown that patients prefer if surgeons had worn both, scrubs as well as the white coat.Surgical attire caught global attention during the 1970s and consisted of a V-necked shirt with short sleeves and simple drawstring pants made of cotton only or a polyester-cotton blend. It is during this period when the purpose of surgical attire had changed because initially it was meant to protect the doctor from any disease the patient is carrying. However, now, scrubs are meant both to protect the doctor as well as the patients from any fatalities due to infections. The color coordination of scrubs also serves a purpose. They are made in light gray, blue, or green to ease the strain on the surgeon’s eyes, which would be much more had they been white.Should all doctors wear a white coat?Although it is fairly common, and considered more trustworthy, to see a doctor in a white coat over formal attire, not all doctors choose to wear one. Many doctors are known to wear white coats because it has been proven that patients show more trust in doctors who wear them, while some choose not to because of patients who may suffer from the white coat syndrome.Moving on, even though a white coat is considered ‘professional’ in medicine, it is not a cardinal rule and can be ignored. Sometimes, it is impractical for certain doctors like general physicians, psychiatrists, or pediatricians to wear white coats because they deal with different types of patients every day. In their situation, not wearing a coat helps because the patients can view them as normal people and feel at ease instead of being triggered by something irrational. The use of coats has been under debate in recent years because it has been found that they can or spread various infections, which is why many hospitals, especially in the UK, have discontinued their use. Overall, it is safe to say that wearing these coats is neither mandated nor forced in any hospital, and it is completely up to the doctor whether or not they want to wear one.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do doctors wear white coats, then why not take a look at where does caviar come from, or where does coffee come from.
If you have ever visited a health care facility, you’ve certainly noticed the stark difference between the attire of doctors and the rest of the staff.
