What do medical interns in Nigeria think of the white coat? A cross sectional study.

Background: The appeal of the white coat to both the doctors and the public is waning. In most developing countries such as Nigeria doctors' view of the white coat is not known.

Objective: To determine the proportion of interns which supported wearing of white coat by doctors.

Methods: A 10-item questionnaire was distributed to medical interns undertaking mandatory pre-registration training in a tertiary hospital. Characteristics of interns who were supportive of doctors wearing the white coat were compared to those who did not support or were indifferent to it.

Results: Two hundred and thirty three interns returned completed questionnaires. About 54% (126) and 52% (107) of the participants were males and graduates of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos respectively. The majority of interns (167; 71.7%) supported the wearing of white coats by doctors when attending to patients; 22 (9.4%) were opposed to it while 44 (18.9%) were indifferent. Older interns, females and interns who had not rotated through Paediatrics were more likely to support the wearing of white coats by doctors. The commonest reason for wearing the white coat was for identification.

Conclusion: The majority of medical interns supported the wearing of white coat by doctors. Prevention of infection is no longer the major reason for wearing the white coat. There is need to document the public's perception of the white coat.