Young children's perceptions of physicians wearing standard precautions versus customary attire.

Truong, Jennifer; Jain, Shailly; Tan, Jesslin; Keegan, David; Matsui, Doreen; Rieder, Michael J

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine if young children have a preference regarding whether physicians wear standard precautions attire. METHODS One hundred ninety-seven children, aged 4 to 8 years, and their parents were recruited from the pediatric emergency department of a tertiary care center. Two sets of 4 photographs-the same man in formal attire, a white coat, greens, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) standard precautions attire, and the same woman in formal attire, a white coat, greens, and SARS standard precautions attire-were shown to the children and their caregiver. Both were asked which physician's attire he or she liked the most and which he or she liked the least. Parents filled out a questionnaire regarding their experiences in the pediatric emergency department during the SARS epidemic. RESULTS The children selected the physician in SARS standard precautions attire as most liked 17.5% of the time and least liked 53.3% of the time. The parents selected the physician in SARS standard precautions attire as most liked 0% of the time and least liked 94.8% of the time. CONCLUSIONS Physicians wearing standard precautions attire while working in the pediatric emergency department need to be aware that this attire may negatively impact their relationship with pediatric patients 4 to 8 years of age.