Physician attire in the intensive care unit and patient family perceptions of physician professional characteristics.

P hysician attire is a modifiable factor that has been demonstrated to influence the patient-physician relationship. However, patient-physician interactions in the intensive care unit (ICU) differ from other health care settings. Patients admitted to the ICU typically do not have a preexisting long-term relationship with their ICU physician, and therefore trust needs to be established over a short time frame. The severity of patient illness frequently results in the active participation of family as surrogate decision makers, complicating the patient-physician relationship. The high acuity of the ICU makes for a wide range of attires worn, from scrubs to suits. We therefore conducted a survey in 3 ICUs to examine ICU patient family perceptions and preferences for physician attire.