White effect - The white coat effect on the doctor-patient relationship

The white coat has historically symbolised medicine and, more broadly, the scientific endeavour itself. According to recent studies, compared to their colleagues in plain clothes, healthcare professionals wearing white coats still convey a clearer perception of assurance and know-how to their patients. This data confirm the strength of that collective imaginary that was built along the centuries, with the help of the figurative arts, television, and modern-day marketing. The feelings of trust and hope for a quality treatment based on the competence and know-how that are guaranteed by the white coats, the purity inspired by their colour, and the compassion shared by healthcare professionals; all these factors had, and still have, an important role in making the white coats, and those who wear them, the guardians of unshakable values. At the same time, the white coat could also instil feelings of dread, apprehension, nervousness, and anxiety, triggering deep and irrational fears, without undermining the patients’ trust in the healthcare professional wearing it. This volume analyses the multifaceted nature of this attire, symbol of the mission pursued by those who wear it, through interviews, memoirs, and the authors’ own reflections.