A DOCTOR with a pierced lip or nose may be seen as less competent and trustworthy by patients, and many colleagues are not comfortable with piercings either, a study shows.About half the patients surveyed believed pierced lips or noses were inappropriate for doctors, according to a report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (March).A female model posing as a doctor was judged to be competent and trustworthy by almost 70% of patients when she was not wearing a nose ring, but by fewer than half with the ring in place. Patients older than 50 were more likely to be troubled by non-traditional piercings, the survey found, with almost two-thirds describing a nose stud as inappropriate medical attire.Even patients who...
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