Patients’ perception of non-standard appearance of nursing staff

Introduction:
Over the years, nurses have been considered models of care and neatness, dressed in a stiff white uniform. Recently, nursing staff have been choosing uniforms due to the variety of colours and comfort of wearing. Various forms of body decoration are also becoming popular among this professional group. Aim of the study was assessment of patients’ perception of non-standard appearance of nursing staff.

Material and methods:
The study was conducted using the diagnostic survey method using a questionnaire. The study material was collected between March and June 2022. The survey questionnaire consisted of 5 closed and semi-open questions and 5 specific questions. A total of 1267 patients completed the survey questionnaires, and 1109 correctly completed survey questionnaires were analysed. Each respondent gave informed consent to conduct the study. All results are statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05.

Results:
Most patients were not bothered by nursing staff having tattoos in a visible place (64.8%). Piercing in specific places of the body by nurses was accepted by 55.8% of respondents. One third (33.8%) of respondents were against nursing staff having non-standard hair colours. Most of the respondents believed that nursing staff should be able to wear medical clothing in any colour of their choice (81%).

Conclusions:
The attitude of patients towards visible body modifications used by nursing staff is individual. Older people, men, and rural residents are less likely to accept the use of forms of body decoration among nursing staff compared to younger people, women, and urban residents.