OBJECTIVE To determine how veterinarians' attire affected clients' perceptions and trust in
the small animal emergency medicine setting. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE 154
clients of a 24-hour small animal emergency clinic in a rural location. PROCEDURES A
survey was administered to clients in the waiting room over a 1-month period to elicit their
impressions of veterinarians' attire in various clinical scenarios and whether that attire would
affect their perceptions. Respondents completed the survey after examining photographs of …

… The purpose of the study reported here was to evaluate preferences of clients of a small animal
emergency hospital regarding their veterinarian’s attire and to determine whether certain styles
of attire affected their perceptions of veterinarians. … Contrary to findings in most human medical
studies, companion animal–owning clients in the present study had no particular preference
regarding styles of attire for male or female veterinarians in the small animal emergency
medicine setting. This indifference toward a specific type of attire has also been identified …