Patient’s experiences of health personnel’s’ body art and working attire. - A general literature review

摘要

Background: The tradition of decorating the body has a long history. Reasons to perform body art, such as tattoos or body piercings, may be different and are found in all sorts of professions, including health care. In many professions there are rules of how one must look, which changes over time. Nowadays even working attire could be experienced differently based on patient's perspective. Patient’s encounters with health personnel’s with body art or non-traditional uniform has increased, which affect patient’s experiences.Aim: To describe patients’ perceptions and experiences of health personnel’s body art and uniform in health care.Method: A general literature study based on previous qualitative- and quantitative research, where two studies used a qualitative approach and eight studies used a quantitative approach.Result: Health personnel’s body art and uniform are perceived differently by different groups of patients, that is, children, adults and the elderly, as well as men and women. Four categories describe how health personnel’s body art and uniform affect patient perceptions and experiences of: relationship in care, knowledge and skills, good health care and professionalism.Conclusion: It has been shown that body art and uniform can influence patients' experiences of care.