Researchers have attempted to understand the preferences of patient populations. In a survey of 22 hospitals, Mangum et al found that patients rated a white uniform with a stethoscope around the neck as significantly more professional than other uniforms, including maroon designer scrubs (Likert-style scale ranging from 1 to 5; means, 3.94 vs 3.30, standard deviations not reported; P = .05). White pants with a colored top were rated lowest (3.26, P = .05). A similar study found that nurses wearing solid-colored uniforms were rated as significantly more caring than those wearing a T-shirt (3.3 T 0.5 vs 2.4 T 0.7; P G.05). Although no significant difference was noted between solid and print scrubs for being caring, skill level was perceived to be significantly highest for the nurse wearing a solid scrub (3.3 T 0.6) over a nurse wearing a printed scrub (3.0 T 0.6) or aT-shirt (2.1 T 0.6;P G.05).