The effects of nurses changing from uniforms to everyday clothes on a psychiatric rehabilitation ward

Abstract

There are few controlled studies investigating the effects of nurses changing from uniforms to everyday clothes. A quasi-experimental design was used where patient behaviour was measured before and after such a change and in which some degree of control was achieved by assessing the major sources of bias (i.e. medication, ward practices, etc.). The results suggest that the change in dress led to a decrease in deviant behaviour (particularly violent incidents) and patient estrangement and an increase in the number of nurses in whom patients could confide. These changes in behaviour appeared to be the result of changes in the nature of the relationships/interactions between patients and staff brought about by the change in nurse dress.