Assessment of medical professionalism: preliminary results of a qualitative study

Warren Fong,Sungwon Yoon,Ying Ying Leung,Julian Thumboo,Jie Kie Phang,Yu Heng Kwan,Swee Cheng Ng

doi:10.1186/s12909-020-1943-x

Abstract

BackgroundThe importance of medical professionalism has been well documented in the literature. Cultural background affects the constituents of professionalism. However, few studies have explored the domains of medical professionalism in an Asian context. We aim to describe the views and experiences of both patients and faculty on medical professionalism in an urban Asian city state.MethodsData for this qualitative study were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) with patients and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with faculty members. The IDIs and FGDs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted by two independent coders using a priori framework derived from Professionalism Mini Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX). Sociodemographic data of faculty members and patients were obtained through brief questionnaires.ResultsA total of 31 patients (58.1% male, all had visited healthcare facilities within the past year) and 26 faculty members (42.3% male, 38.5% from medical disciplines, median years as faculty is 11) participated in this study. The results supported the four domains of medical professionalism - Doctor-patient relationship skills, Reflective skills, Time management and Inter-professional relationship skills. Two new sub-domains which emerged from data were (1) communicated effectively with patient and (2) demonstrated collegiality.ConclusionsThe domains of professionalism in Singapore were similar to previous studies. This study allows a better understanding of medical professionalism to enhance the assessment and ultimately, the teaching of medical professionalism in an urban multi-ethnic Asian city.

Highlights

The importance of medical professionalism has been well documented in the literature
The following purposive sampling technique was performed to provide a range of views on medical professionalism: recipients of healthcare services were selected based on age, gender, ethnicity, education and socio-economic status while medical educators responsible for medical training and assessment were selected according to age, gender, ethnicity and disciplines for faculty in SingHealth residency
A total of patients (58.1% male, median age years old, age range from 22 to 75 years old) participated in 6 Focus group discussion (FGD) (4 conducted in English and 2 conducted in Mandarin) while a total of 26 faculty members (42.3% male, median age 42 years old, age range from 26 to 76 years old) participated in the In-depth interviews (IDI)

Summary

Introduction

The importance of medical professionalism has been well documented in the literature. Few studies have explored the domains of medical professionalism in an Asian context. Wagner et al has identified knowledge/technical skills, patient relationship and character virtues as main themes of professionalism [13], while Jha et al has identified compliance to values, patient access, doctor-patient relationship, demeanour, professional management, personal awareness and motivation as the themes of professionalism [14]. None of these studies were performed in the context of Asian medical education. The constituents of medical professionalism in China was influenced by its longstanding Confucian traditions [22]

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