Alotaibi Wafi B, Abduljabbar Raghad H, Al-Awn Raghad M, Albakr Maha A, Binshihon Safia M, Hobani Alhassan H, Alnejaidi Mohammad S, Mahfouz Mohammad E
College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
Medicine and Surgery, King Khalid University Hospital, Abha, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 5;16(11):e73096. doi: 10.7759/cureus.73096. eCollection 2024 Nov.
The field of forensic medicine, also known as medical jurisprudence, plays a vital role in civil and criminal legal proceedings by applying medical principles to establish facts. Despite its critical importance, there is a significant shortage of experts in this subspecialty. Understanding the factors influencing medical students' interest in forensic medicine is crucial.
The study was an observational cross-sectional conducted among medical students at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through online questionnaires distributed through social media applications (WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook) through Google Forms. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM Corp., Version 27.0, Armonk, NY) to obtain important insights.
The majority of the medical students (65.2%) demonstrated good knowledge of forensic medicine. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority, 94.6%, agree that forensic medicine is a fundamental part of the medical field. Further, our study showed that 87% of the medical students have received formal education related to forensic medicine, though only 38% feel that the education was adequate. In comparison, nearly half (44.6%) of students felt that the education they received regarding forensic medicine was inadequate. Almost three-quarters of the medical students (70.7%) believe it would be beneficial to incorporate the forensic medicine module in their curriculum. The key motivating factors for choosing forensic medicine as a career were personal interest (39.1%) and the nature of the work (32.6%). Gender was not significantly associated with knowledge of forensic medicine (p-value<0.05).
Medical students strongly recognize the importance of forensic medicine and support its inclusion in the curriculum. However, many feel underprepared for medico-legal responsibilities, indicating a gap in current education. Personal interest and the nature of the work are key motivators, with lectures playing a crucial role in career decisions. The study found no significant gender differences in knowledge or attitudes toward forensic medicine. It recommends that medical schools incorporate a comprehensive forensic medicine module to address these educational gaps.
法医学领域，也被称为法医学，通过应用医学原理来确定事实，在民事和刑事法律程序中发挥着至关重要的作用。尽管其至关重要，但该亚专业的专家严重短缺。了解影响医学生对法医学兴趣的因素至关重要。
该研究是在沙特阿拉伯塔伊夫大学的医学生中进行的一项观察性横断面研究。数据通过谷歌表单通过社交媒体应用程序（WhatsApp、Twitter和Facebook）分发的在线问卷收集。使用社会科学统计软件包（IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows，IBM公司，版本27.0，纽约州阿蒙克）进行数据分析，以获得重要见解。
大多数医学生（65.2%）对法医学有良好的了解。此外，绝大多数（94.6%）同意法医学是医学领域的一个基本组成部分。此外，我们的研究表明，87%的医学生接受过与法医学相关的正规教育，尽管只有38%的人认为这种教育是足够的。相比之下，近一半（44.6%）的学生认为他们接受的法医学教育不足。几乎四分之三的医学生（70.7%）认为将法医学模块纳入他们的课程会有好处。选择法医学作为职业的关键激励因素是个人兴趣（39.1%）和工作性质（32.6%）。性别与法医学知识没有显著关联（p值<0.05）。
医学生强烈认识到法医学的重要性，并支持将其纳入课程。然而，许多人觉得对法医法律责任准备不足，这表明当前教育存在差距。个人兴趣和工作性质是关键激励因素，讲座在职业决策中起着至关重要的作用。该研究发现，在法医学知识或态度方面没有显著的性别差异。建议医学院校纳入一个全面的法医学模块来弥补这些教育差距。
