Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students

Tiyasa Karmakar; Abhıshek Das; Arabinda Chatterjee

doi:10.62425/jmefm.1751917

Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students

Abstract

Objective: “First impression is last impression”- so does the saying. Impression is the basis of non–verbal communication. The appearance, attire, and wearing of apparel, along with the professionalism of a doctor, play indispensable roles in developing trusting doctor–patient relationships. This study aims to determine the relationship between the appearance and professionalism of a doctor among undergraduate medical students to strengthen attitudes, ethics and communication. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among Phase I and Phase II MBBS students by introducing a predesigned questionnaire in Google Form for data collection. After providing informed consent, demographic details were obtained. Among the photographs of male and female doctors with four different attitudes (formal (F), white coat (W), scrub (S), and casual (C)), the respondents chose preferable options in different medical settings and with different attributes of professionalism. They also chose their preferences for appearance. The data were tabulated first in MS Excel 2010 and analyzed via SPSS version 19.0 (IBM SPSS Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) Results: Most respondents followed doctors’ advice thoroughly with white coats in the case of both male and female doctors. The chi-square test revealed that preferences for routine physical examination, consultation with family doctors and consultation for psychological issues were statistically significant (P<.05). Preference for different attributes of professionalism was not statistically significant (P<.05). Conclusion: A good doctor‒patient relationship leads every problem to reach a solution. The combination of variable preferences for the attire and appearance of a doctor can influence confidence and the trust of an individual and increase the competency, approachability, caring attitude, responsibility, and communication skills of a doctor during professional work.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

None

Ethical Statement

This original research is approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Jhargram Government Medical College & Hospital prior to the commencement of the study (vide memo no- IEC/ 2025/ 03 dated 18.02.2025)

Thanks

We are thankful to all the participants of the study.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Medical Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Tiyasa Karmakar This is me
0009-0004-0094-8173
India

Abhıshek Das ^*
0000-0002-5664-2673
India

Arabinda Chatterjee This is me
0009-0009-6775-5567
India

Publication Date

December 25, 2025

Submission Date

July 27, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 20, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 2 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1751917

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA68TM63KB

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Karmakar, T., Das, A., & Chatterjee, A. (2025). Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine, 2(3), 86-91. https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1751917

AMA

1.Karmakar T, Das A, Chatterjee A. Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students. J Med Educ Family Med. 2025;2(3):86-91. doi:10.62425/jmefm.1751917

Chicago

Karmakar, Tiyasa, Abhıshek Das, and Arabinda Chatterjee. 2025. “Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students”. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine 2 (3): 86-91. https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1751917.

EndNote

Karmakar T, Das A, Chatterjee A (December 1, 2025) Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine 2 3 86–91.

IEEE

[1]T. Karmakar, A. Das, and A. Chatterjee, “Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students”, J Med Educ Family Med, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 86–91, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.62425/jmefm.1751917.

ISNAD

Karmakar, Tiyasa - Das, Abhıshek - Chatterjee, Arabinda. “Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students”. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine 2/3 (December 1, 2025): 86-91. https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1751917.

JAMA

1.Karmakar T, Das A, Chatterjee A. Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students. J Med Educ Family Med. 2025;2:86–91.

MLA

Karmakar, Tiyasa, et al. “Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students”. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine, vol. 2, no. 3, Dec. 2025, pp. 86-91, doi:10.62425/jmefm.1751917.

Vancouver

1.Tiyasa Karmakar, Abhıshek Das, Arabinda Chatterjee. Relationship Between the Appearance and Professionalism of A Doctor – A Questionnaire-Based Study Among Medical Students. J Med Educ Family Med. 2025 Dec. 1;2(3):86-91. doi:10.62425/jmefm.1751917