Pharmacist attire and its impact on patient preference

objective: to determine the influence of demographics on patient preferences for community pharmacist attire. methods: a 10-item questionnaire was developed and administered to patients visiting a chain pharmacy or an independent pharmacy in the birmingham, alabama metropolitan area. mann-whitney was used to examine if statistical differences existed in chain versus independent pharmacy patient′s selections based on pharmacist attire. results: a statistically significant difference in patient preference for pharmacist attire between the settings in regards to which pharmacist patients felt was more approachable was observed; 51.2% of chain pharmacy respondents compared to 30% of independent pharmacy respondents identified the pharmacist pair with business formal attire and white coat as more approachable. differences in education was also apparent with 70% of respondents in the independent pharmacy setting reporting having a bachelor′s degree or higher compared to 45% of respondents in the chain pharmacy setting. conclusion: with the exception of approachability, patients indicated preference for pharmacist with the white coat regardless of community setting. given the importance of patient-pharmacist communication for building successful patient-pharmacist relationships, if patients do not perceive the pharmacists as approachable, communication and subsequent development of said relationships may not occur regardless of perceived knowledge and competency.