Self-reported assessment by medical students and interns of unprofessional practice.

摘要

BACKGROUND: Medical trainees should learn appropriate professional attitudes requisite for practicing medicine. PURPOSE: Describe self-reported assessment of medical students and interns of unprofessional practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 88 participants (65 senior students and 23 interns) using self-administered questionnaire of 6 clinical and academic scenarios portraying a fictitious doctor engaged in unprofessional practice. RESULTS: Eighty-one (92.1 percent) participants believed professional misconduct is wrong, particularly failure to consult a specialist, disrespect to patients' autonomy, and research fraud. Seventy-three (83 percent) respondents would not perform these activities. There were no significant differences in responses by gender or year of study. Women and students, respectively, were significantly more lenient than men (p =.001) and interns (p =.002) regarding penalties appropriate for unprofessional behavior. Sixty-four (72.7 percent) participants would take action if colleagues failed to achieve professional standards. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of professional misconduct are not different in United Arab Emirates medical undergraduates from those observed elsewhere.