Noor Sana, Ali Anusha Nauroz, Ejaz Azhar, Malik Aafia, Nadeem Khadijah, Fatima Zain, Shakoor Aatika, Khalil Amina
Community Medicine, Avicenna Medical and Dental College and Hospital, Lahore, PAK.
Medicine and Surgery, Avicenna Medical and Dental College and Hospital, Lahore, PAK.
Cureus. 2024 Dec 21;16(12):e76113. doi: 10.7759/cureus.76113. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Professionalism and ethical behavior are critical components of medical practice, yet gaps in ethical education among medical students remain a concern. This study addresses the need to assess perceptions and experiences regarding professionalism among medical students.
This study aims to evaluate medical students' awareness, perceptions, and experiences related to professionalism and ethical practices.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using stratified random sampling across seven medical institutions (both public and private). A structured, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 815 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students, yielding a response rate of approximately 90%. Data analysis involved IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States), using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, and Chi-square tests.
The sample comprised predominantly young adults (67.4% aged 20-22), with more females (64%) than males (36%). While 94% of participants were familiar with professional ethics, only 40% had completed a formal course in medical ethics, and 26.1% had received additional professional ethics training. A majority (59.3%) engaged in self-directed study on professionalism. Regarding unprofessional behavior, 61% observed a lack of medical dignity, 48.5% witnessed disrespect for cultural differences, and 48.5% noticed the failure to introduce oneself. Other observed unprofessional behaviors included performing procedures without supervision (50.3%) and unprofessional behavior in hospital corridors (46.5%). Eating or drinking in hospital hallways was observed by 43.8% of participants. These findings reveal a high awareness of professionalism and medical ethics, although unprofessional behavior remains common in healthcare settings. Gender differences were significant for training and self-directed ethics study (p < 0.05). The instrument used for the study demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82).
There is a critical need for integrating comprehensive ethics training into medical education to address observed gaps and improve professional conduct among future healthcare providers. The findings underscore the urgent need for integrating comprehensive ethics training into medical education. Addressing observed gaps in ethical understanding and behavior could inform curriculum development and foster professionalism among future healthcare providers. Such enhancements may ultimately improve the quality of patient care and strengthen public trust in the healthcare system.
专业精神和道德行为是医疗实践的关键组成部分，但医学生道德教育方面的差距仍然令人担忧。本研究旨在评估医学生对专业精神的认知和经历。
本研究旨在评估医学生对专业精神和道德实践的认知、看法及经历。
采用分层随机抽样法，在七所医疗机构（包括公立和私立）开展了一项横断面研究。向815名医学学士和外科学士（MBBS）及牙外科学士（BDS）学生发放了一份结构化的自填式问卷，回复率约为90%。数据分析使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows，版本27（2020年发布；IBM公司，美国纽约州阿蒙克），采用描述性统计、曼-惠特尼U检验和卡方检验。
样本主要为年轻人（67.4%年龄在20 - 22岁），女性（64%）多于男性（36%）。虽然94%的参与者熟悉职业道德，但只有40%的人完成过医学伦理学正规课程，26.1%的人接受过额外的职业道德培训。大多数人（59.3%）自主学习专业精神相关内容。关于不专业行为，61%的人观察到缺乏医疗尊严，48.5%的人目睹不尊重文化差异，48.5%的人注意到未进行自我介绍。其他观察到的不专业行为包括在无监督的情况下进行操作（50.3%）以及在医院走廊的不专业行为（46.5%）。43.8%的参与者观察到在医院走廊饮食的情况。这些发现表明，尽管不专业行为在医疗环境中仍然很常见，但对专业精神和医学伦理的认知度较高。培训和自主道德学习方面存在显著的性别差异（p < 0.05）。本研究使用的工具显示出良好的信度（Cronbach's alpha = 0.82）。
迫切需要将全面的道德培训纳入医学教育，以弥补观察到的差距，改善未来医疗服务提供者的专业行为。研究结果强调了将全面的道德培训纳入医学教育的迫切需求。解决在道德理解和行为方面观察到的差距可为课程开发提供参考，并培养未来医疗服务提供者的专业精神。这种改进最终可能提高患者护理质量，增强公众对医疗系统的信任。
