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(Reuters Health) – Doctors do not see a difference in competence, professionalism or reliability when doctors practice tattooing or piercing, suggests a small American study.
Perceptions Changed Probably Over Time Researchers Write in Emergency Medicine Journal
"Tattoos Are More Common Today Than They Were It 10 years ago, including professionals, "said co-Dr. Holly Stankewicz of St. Luke's University Health Network. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
"The stigma is disappearing, and we think it's a good thing," she said in a telephone interview. "Patients Know It Does not Affect Your Professionalism or Qualification."
Stankewicz and colleagues interviewed patients at a Level I Community Trauma Center in Pennsylvania's third-largest urban area. Seven doctors – four men and three women – wore standard navy blue scrubs during the study and turned between four conditions: to be "clean" (without tattoos or piercings), "pierced" (a buckle). ear for men or fake nose for women), "tattooed" (a temporary black tribal tattoo around the arm), or both tattooed and pierced.
At the end of each visit, a nurse gave a questionnaire to the patient, saying that it was intended to measure courteous and competent medical care during the stay. The nurse referred to the doctor by name and description (as "the tall, red-haired man") to ensure that the patient identified the physician
L & # 39; investigation focused on the characteristics of the doctor, such as attention, trust, reliability, attention, cooperation, professionalism, efficiency and accessibility. The survey was not specifically about body art or whether the patients themselves had non-traditional tattoos or piercings.
During the nine-month study, nurses surveyed more than 900 patients. Overall, there was no difference in patients' perceptions of professionalism, accessibility, competence or comfort when doctors had piercings, tattoos or no body art at all. The answers were similar whether the doctors were men or women, or the age and level of education of the patient. "We thought that younger patients would not care, but that did not affect older patients either." "I was surprised when I walked into the room of a 73 year old patient and she said that she liked my tattoo."
Stankewicz does not expect her to see a difference outside of the urban environment, but she would like to do a follow-up study regarding the body art of nurses, because they often see patients more frequently than emergency services physicians.
"We are starting to learn that patients often have instant impressions about their providers as they enter the home," said Dr. Vineet Chopra of the University of Michigan's Faculty of Medicine at Ann. Arbor, who published a study in May, said patients were concerned about doctors' clothing and this affected their satisfaction with the care they received
. However, all physicians (in the new study) wore scrubs, and we know that this has a "professional" connotation in emergencies, "Chopra told Reuters Health via email. "So it's possible that scrubs dominated any body art."
He suspects that if the study of body art was repeated in a larger academic setting, or a non-urban community, the results could be different.
and institutional policies still prohibit health professionals from having visible body art, note the authors. Future research that directly questions patients' opinions about body art could better determine whether policies should evolve with societal norms.
"I'm not sure the written policies will change, but the application could change over time," Stankewicz said. "Appearances should not affect professionalism, and through counseling, we believe this is beginning to be accepted."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2LDXn6V Emergency Medicine Journal, Online July 2, 2018.
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