• Christopher Imokhuede Esezobor, Oluwafunmilayo Funke Adeniyi, Christian Chigozie Makwe, Okezie Obasi Kanu, and Taslim Bello.
• Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, PMB 12003, Lagos State, Nigeria. esezobor@gmail.com
• Nig Q J Hosp Med. 2013 Jan 1;23(1):22-6.

BackgroundThe appeal of the white coat to both the doctors and the public is waning. In most developing countries such as Nigeria doctors' view of the white coat is not known.ObjectiveTo determine the proportion of interns which supported wearing of white coat by doctors.MethodsA 10-item questionnaire was distributed to medical interns undertaking mandatory pre-registration training in a tertiary hospital. Characteristics of interns who were supportive of doctors wearing the white coat were compared to those who did not support or were indifferent to it.ResultsTwo hundred and thirty three interns returned completed questionnaires. About 54% (126) and 52% (107) of the participants were males and graduates of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos respectively. The majority of interns (167; 71.7%) supported the wearing of white coats by doctors when attending to patients; 22 (9.4%) were opposed to it while 44 (18.9%) were indifferent. Older interns, females and interns who had not rotated through Paediatrics were more likely to support the wearing of white coats by doctors. The commonest reason for wearing the white coat was for identification.ConclusionThe majority of medical interns supported the wearing of white coat by doctors. Prevention of infection is no longer the major reason for wearing the white coat. There is need to document the public's perception of the white coat.

9 keywords...

hide…