School of Medicine and Health, University of Durham, Queen's Campus, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Med Teach. 2010;32(2):e101-5. doi: 10.3109/01421590903202504.
A number of studies have explored student attitudes to examining each other (peer physical examination: PPE). Differences have emerged in whether students prefer to be examined by friends or strangers. Changes have been reported in how students feel about PPE if asked before or after the PPE programme commences. RESEARCH INTENTION: Since a Grounded Theory paradigm was employed, there was no formal research hypothesis: the research intention was to explore factors which might underlie changes in student willingness to undertake PPE following familiarity with the process.
Students who had completed an Examining Fellow Students Questionnaire at the beginning and end of the academic year, and who had indicated a change in willingness to participate, were invited to attend focus groups. Four focus groups were convened and transcripts were analysed for common themes.
Surprisingly, students downplayed the significance of changes. Also unexpectedly, dichotomous views emerged on familiarity, with some students preferring friends for examination and others preferring strangers. Staff embarrassment also emerged as a factor inhibiting student participation.
The significance of reported changes in attitudes to PPE may have been exaggerated. Proposals for increasing the willingness of students to participate in PPE are developed from the emergent themes.
许多研究都探讨了学生对相互检查（同学体检：PPE）的态度。学生们更喜欢被朋友还是陌生人检查存在差异。在 PPE 项目开始之前或之后询问学生对 PPE 的感受时，报告称学生的感受发生了变化。
由于采用了扎根理论范式，因此没有正式的研究假设：研究目的是探讨在熟悉该过程后，学生是否愿意进行 PPE 的变化背后的因素。
在学年开始和结束时完成“检查同学问卷”的学生，如果表示愿意参与的意愿发生了变化，将被邀请参加焦点小组。召集了四个焦点小组，对转录本进行了主题分析。
令人惊讶的是，学生们淡化了变化的重要性。同样出人意料的是，对熟悉程度的看法出现了二分法，有些学生喜欢朋友检查，而有些学生则喜欢陌生人。工作人员尴尬也被认为是抑制学生参与的一个因素。
对 PPE 态度变化的报告意义可能被夸大了。从出现的主题中提出了增加学生参与 PPE 意愿的建议。
