A University of Michigan study found that on telemedicine calls, a physician's background impacts how the patient perceives the provider — with most patients preferring a physician office background.
The study, published May 15 in JAMA Network Open, surveyed a random sample of adults between February 22, 2022, and October 21, 2022, who completed an in-person or virtual outpatient visit at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan or Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Participants were shown photographs of model physicians in different environments and asked to select their preferred background. Scores, ranging from 1 to 10, were calculated across six domains: how knowledgeable, trustworthy, caring, approachable and professional the physician appeared, and how comfortable the physician made the respondent feel.
The study found the most preferred background was the physician office displaying diplomas (7.8), followed by a solid color background (7.7). The backgrounds with the lowest scores were the bedroom (7.2) and kitchen environments (7).
More than 34% of participants preferred the physician office and physician office displaying diplomas, compared to 3.5% who preferred the bedroom and 2% who preferred the kitchen background.