Abstract
Context. Medical educators have emphasized the importance of teaching patient-centred care. Objectives. To describe and quantify the attitudes of medical students towards patient-centred care and to examine: (a) the differences in these attitudes between students in early and later years of medical school; and (b) factors associated with patient-centred attitudes. Methods. We surveyed 673 students in the first, third, and fourth years of medical school. Our survey utilized the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a validated instrument designed to measure individual preferences towards various aspects of the doctor-patient relationship. Total PPOS scores can range from patient-centred (egalitarian, whole person oriented) to disease- or doctor-centred (paternalistic, less attuned to psychosocial issues). Additional demographic data including gender, age, ethnicity, undergraduate course-work, family medical background and specialty choice were collected from the fourth year class. Results. A total of 510 students (76%) completed data collection. Female gender (P < 0.001) and earlier year of medical school (P = 0.03) were significantly associated with patient-centred attitudes. Among fourth year students (n = 89), characteristics associated with more patient-centred attitudes included female gender, European-American ethnicity, and primary-care career choice (P < 0.05 for each comparison). Conclusion. Despite emphasis on the need for curricula that foster patient-centred attitudes among medical students, our data suggest that students in later years of medical school have attitudes that are more doctor-centred or paternalistic compared to students in earlier years. Given the emphasis placed on patient satisfaction and patient-centred care in the current medical environment, our results warrant further research and dialogue to explore the dynamics in medical education that may foster or inhibit student attitudes toward patient-centred care.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 568-574 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Medical Education |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2002 |
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Keywords
- Attitude
- Curriculum
- Delivery of health care
- Doctor-patient relations
- Education, medical, undergraduates, methods
- Patient-centred care
- Patient-centred satisfaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nursing(all)
- Education
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Cite this
Medical student attitudes toward the doctor-patient relationship. / Haidet, Paul; Dains, Joyce E.; Paterniti, Debora A; Hechtel, Laura; Chang, Tai; Tseng, Ellen; Rogers, John C.
In: Medical Education, Vol. 36, No. 6, 2002, p. 568-574.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical student attitudes toward the doctor-patient relationship
AU - Haidet, Paul
AU - Dains, Joyce E.
AU - Paterniti, Debora A
AU - Hechtel, Laura
AU - Chang, Tai
AU - Tseng, Ellen
AU - Rogers, John C.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Context. Medical educators have emphasized the importance of teaching patient-centred care. Objectives. To describe and quantify the attitudes of medical students towards patient-centred care and to examine: (a) the differences in these attitudes between students in early and later years of medical school; and (b) factors associated with patient-centred attitudes. Methods. We surveyed 673 students in the first, third, and fourth years of medical school. Our survey utilized the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a validated instrument designed to measure individual preferences towards various aspects of the doctor-patient relationship. Total PPOS scores can range from patient-centred (egalitarian, whole person oriented) to disease- or doctor-centred (paternalistic, less attuned to psychosocial issues). Additional demographic data including gender, age, ethnicity, undergraduate course-work, family medical background and specialty choice were collected from the fourth year class. Results. A total of 510 students (76%) completed data collection. Female gender (P < 0.001) and earlier year of medical school (P = 0.03) were significantly associated with patient-centred attitudes. Among fourth year students (n = 89), characteristics associated with more patient-centred attitudes included female gender, European-American ethnicity, and primary-care career choice (P < 0.05 for each comparison). Conclusion. Despite emphasis on the need for curricula that foster patient-centred attitudes among medical students, our data suggest that students in later years of medical school have attitudes that are more doctor-centred or paternalistic compared to students in earlier years. Given the emphasis placed on patient satisfaction and patient-centred care in the current medical environment, our results warrant further research and dialogue to explore the dynamics in medical education that may foster or inhibit student attitudes toward patient-centred care.
AB - Context. Medical educators have emphasized the importance of teaching patient-centred care. Objectives. To describe and quantify the attitudes of medical students towards patient-centred care and to examine: (a) the differences in these attitudes between students in early and later years of medical school; and (b) factors associated with patient-centred attitudes. Methods. We surveyed 673 students in the first, third, and fourth years of medical school. Our survey utilized the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a validated instrument designed to measure individual preferences towards various aspects of the doctor-patient relationship. Total PPOS scores can range from patient-centred (egalitarian, whole person oriented) to disease- or doctor-centred (paternalistic, less attuned to psychosocial issues). Additional demographic data including gender, age, ethnicity, undergraduate course-work, family medical background and specialty choice were collected from the fourth year class. Results. A total of 510 students (76%) completed data collection. Female gender (P < 0.001) and earlier year of medical school (P = 0.03) were significantly associated with patient-centred attitudes. Among fourth year students (n = 89), characteristics associated with more patient-centred attitudes included female gender, European-American ethnicity, and primary-care career choice (P < 0.05 for each comparison). Conclusion. Despite emphasis on the need for curricula that foster patient-centred attitudes among medical students, our data suggest that students in later years of medical school have attitudes that are more doctor-centred or paternalistic compared to students in earlier years. Given the emphasis placed on patient satisfaction and patient-centred care in the current medical environment, our results warrant further research and dialogue to explore the dynamics in medical education that may foster or inhibit student attitudes toward patient-centred care.
KW - Attitude
KW - Curriculum
KW - Delivery of health care
KW - Doctor-patient relations
KW - Education, medical, undergraduates, methods
KW - Patient-centred care
KW - Patient-centred satisfaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036276406&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036276406&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01233.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01233.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 12047673
AN - SCOPUS:0036276406
VL - 36
SP - 568
EP - 574
JO - Medical Education
JF - Medical Education
SN - 0308-0110
IS - 6
ER -