Intern′s experience of abuse during training course in an educational hospital in Yazd, Iran, 2014

Abstract

Aim: Internship is an important period in the development of the physicians' professional capacity. Different types of abuse have been reported in this training period that may influence learning ability and students' potential to deliver best care in the future. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of perceived interns' abuse during their internship period. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in June 2014 among interns of an educational hospital in Yazd, Iran. The survey questionnaire was designed to gather information regarding the frequency at which participants perceived themselves to have been abused, the type and source of abuse, and the reasons why they did not report the perceived abuse. The questionnaire was reviewed by two health care administrators and two general practitioners to establish face validity. Cronbach's Alpha of survey's instrument was estimated at 0.78. The IBM SPSS Statistics version 20 was used for analysis of the survey data. Results: The survey conducted revealed that most of the reported abuse had academic roots (15.44 ± 5.75). Residents were most often cited as the sources of the perceived abuse, followed by professors and nurses. The Department of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine was the most frequently cited wards where the students experienced the perceived abuse. Only 11.8% of the female students reported the abuse to a third party. Conclusion: Raising awareness among the medical students regarding the mistreatment is important, and creating a system that monitors these behaviors accurately and reliably can also be helpful.