Decision-making in large institutions often starts at the highest levels and is then passed down through the levels to employees. Geisinger Health System's recent implementation of a dress code for nurses and other front-line employees was initiated from another source – patients.
In an article published this year in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, Geisinger nurses and nursing leaders show how patients were surveyed on perceptions of professionalism based on clothing, jewelry, tattoos and piercing. The authors used evidence-based practice -- the use of evidence, clinical nursing knowledge and patient values -- to assess how patients perceive the quality of care and professionalism of the nursing staff.
"Our goal was to increase our understanding of patient perceptions regarding the professional image of nurses at Geisinger Medical Center," said one of the authors, Crystal Muthler, RN, chief nursing officer and vice president of nursing at Geisinger Medical Center. "We continuously strive to improve the patient and family experience. When the patients and families responded, we listened."
About 400 patients participated by filling out surveys and reviewing photos of nurses in various types of clothing to identify the look they preferred. While they generally rated nurses highly, the patients sometimes had problems identifying the registered nurse, licensed practical nurse and the nursing assistant.
The respondents said they wanted all nurses to dress the same, but were divided as to whether solid colors or patterns were best. T-shirts with pictures or sayings were not liked at all.
While it may be OK for a waitress to call someone "honey" or "sweetheart," patients said they want to be called Mr. or Mrs. when first introduced, and then by their first name afterward.
In January, registered nurses began wearing pewter gray and white scrub uniforms embroidered with the Geisinger logo and "Registered Nurse."
As the study was being implemented, the study team found that Geisinger Medical Center had about 70 different dress codes. Those policies have been consolidated into a single document. "Today not only nursing has made changes in dress code, but many other departments are pursuing the same," Muthler said.
With the trend of color-coding gaining steam across hospitals and network providers, companies like Uniforms Made Easy are stepping in to make the process simpler. They provide the tools and expertise to make it easy to simplify the dress code and get your entire workforce in their uniforms efficiently.
Doesn’t the entire staff – from RNs to housekeeping -at every facility have to wear an ID card? Why isn’ t their title in large, bold, black print that is easy to read? Or, another option is an additional tag that is longer than the photo ID, hang’s behind the photo id, and has in bold, black, print one’s title (RN, MD, LPN, NURSE ASST., etc)? As long as it is required that the ID is worn above the waist and is visible to patients (and this part of wearing an ID is enforced) – is it necessary to restrict staff to being color coded to be identified? I know when I am in the hospital – do does my family – I look at a person’s ID badge for who they are, not whar color they are wearing. And don’t forget to introduce yourself to your patient- every time you make contact if you need to. If a facility feels the need to use colored clothing, restrict it to the pant color.
While I understand the need for patients and family to identify the staff taking care of them, I also have found the patients (residents) in nursing homes enjoy the colorful scrubs they see. Sometimes these are the only bright diversity that cross their paths. They notice. They comment on what they like and don’t like. I often get a thumbs down when a solid scrub is worn. My favorite comment was when someone said I was a picture of happiness, like a box of crayolas! What a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day.
Completely agree, Rebecca. I totally understand why workplaces need to have a uniform dress code, but in the case of nursing I worry that making everyone wear the same dull uniform actually has a negative impact on the job the nurses are trying to do – take care of and improve the lives of their patients.