The Short Answer: Studies show patients associate different scrub colours with different levels of competence and trust. Blue and green score highest for professionalism. Your scrub colour is a communication choice whether you intended it or not.

Patients form instant judgements based on what colour you are wearing. Some of those colours say things you definitely did not intend.

The JAMA Surgery Study

Hribar and colleagues published a study in JAMA Surgery in 2023 surveying patients on how scrub colour affects their perception of surgeons. The results were clear:

• Green scrubs were most strongly identified as "surgeon" attire
• Blue was rated the most caring colour across all age groups
• Black scrubs carried the most negative associations, scoring lowest for knowledge, skill, and trustworthiness

Some patients described black scrubs as "deathlike." Others compared them to a mortician's outfit. Fair or not, colour carries enormous subconscious weight when a patient is feeling vulnerable.

Fit Matters Too

A follow-up study (Saia et al., 2024) found that fitted scrubs were significantly preferred over baggy traditional styles for nearly every positive characteristic: competence, professionalism, approachability, and trustworthiness.

The frumpy, one-size-fits-nobody hospital-issue set is not just unflattering. According to patients, it actively undermines the perception of the person wearing it.

Why Patients Read These Signals

Patients facing surgery are anxious, vulnerable, and looking for reassurance wherever they can find it. They cannot evaluate your clinical skills by watching you suture. So they read what they can. Your body language. Your tone. Your appearance.

Colour, fit, and overall presentation are not vanity metrics. They are trust signals. A surgeon in well-fitted green scrubs starts with a perceptual advantage over one in baggy black, before either has said a word.

The Cap Is Part of the Equation

If scrub colour carries this much weight, cap colour and style are part of the same trust equation. A coordinated, professional appearance, scrubs and cap working together, contributes to the confidence patients need in their most vulnerable moments.

Browse patterned scrub caps or the full collection to find something that complements your scrubs and sends the right message.