Dhrupadh Yerrakalva is a dad, a GP, Clinical Lecturer in Medical education, a part-time jogger
All through my medical training, a shirt and trousers were the norm. I knew of nothing else. Pop them on and my uniform for GP clinic was ready.
Then came the pandemic…
Along with a myriad of changes, so out went the shirt and in came the scrubs. A plethora of GPs switched to wearing scrubs, including myself. Infection control, along with change in dress to suit the greater acuity now faced in primary care.
Then as the pandemic eventually subsided the scrubs remained for many. I too persisted with this thinking little of it. I also felt in a more mobile and positive mindset in my scrubs. I might sometimes get remarks, sometimes the patient not sure of my role, again simply clearing up that I was the GP but thinking little of it.
The consultation seemed different. The patients seemed to have different attitude towards me. There seemed to be more trust, more acceptance.
Then, for no reason, I popped the shirt and trousers back on and I noticed something remarkable. The consultation seemed different. The patients seemed to have different attitude towards me. There seemed to be more trust, more acceptance. I switched back to scrubs, and it seemed to disappear again.
That was enough of a test experiment for me. The scrubs were gone and the shirt and trousers were here to stay.
The consultations appeared smoother and the patients liked it. That was enough for me. Was it the change in clothing? Perhaps I was just more experienced? Perhaps the clothes put me in a different mindset?
Too many variables to draw evidence from a sample size of 1. However with many things in medicine, like in life, we proceed with those options where the positives outweigh the negatives.
It made me think more about the impact our dress has. It’s a rapidly changing field as cultural norms shift. What was acceptable dress to one generation might be very different to the next. How do we teach our medical students in this rapidly changing area and mostly importantly what does mean for our patients?
I often think this when I put myself on the other side of the room and think how I might take news from someone dressed in a t-shirt and trainers. I am not sure the answer is the same for everyone and probably not the same depending on the day.
All I know for me is now, I don’t want no scrubs.
