The majority of psychiatric patients believe that the dress style of their psychiatrists and nurses makes a difference to the interactions between them.
Patients prefer relatively smart dress with name badges, but are against the wearing of white coats.
Clear preferences were found on make-up, the wearing of jewellery, hair style, facial hair and the wearing of ethnic clothes. The authors comment that the detailed information from this study could be used for the development of dress codes for psychiatrists and mental health nurses. Information For further information during the Conference, contact Vanessa Harries. Alternatively contact Deborah Hart in Lomond Foyer 3 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.