Medical students’ and teachers’ attitude: physician or patient-centered?

Noely Soares Veloso Moura,Antônio Prates Caldeira,João Felício Rodrigues Neto,Jefferson Oliveira Silva

doi:10.1590/1981-5271v45.4-20200364.ing

Noely Soares Veloso Moura, Antônio Prates Caldeira + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-5271v45.4-20200364.ing

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Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Patient-centered care has been associated with positive results in medical practice. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of students and teachers from a Brazilian medical school regarding the physician-patient relationship and verify associated factors. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried out in a public university, using the PPOS “Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale” as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire. The subjects were regularly enrolled students attending the second semester of 2015 and their teachers. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine the effect of sociodemographic variables and the interaction with the scores found for students and teachers. Results: A total of 212 students were surveyed, corresponding to 57.1% of the enrolled students in the medical course. The value of the total PPOS score found for the students was 4.35 (± 0.5 SD), and the mean total score of PPOS among female students (4.43) was significantly higher than that in males (4.23) (p < 0.001), indicating more patient-centered attitudes in that group. Regarding medical teachers, 77 (56%) participated. The total score of PPOS was 4.52 (± 0.5 SD), with a more patient-centered attitude among teachers in comparison to students (4.35) (p = 0.001). However, there is a clear need for progress in both groups. Conclusion: The analysis of the students’ and teachers’ attitudes about the physician-patient relationship disclosed an unknown scenario, with more patient-centered attitudes verified among teachers despite the need for improvements by both. Further research is needed to evaluate not only the attitude but the behavior of these subjects.

Highlights

Patient-centered care has been associated with positive results in medical practice
The analysis of the students’ and teachers’ attitudes about the physician-patient relationship disclosed an unknown scenario, with more patient-centered attitudes verified among teachers despite the need for improvements by both
Patient-centered care is anchored in the consideration of the patient as an individual and prioritizes their expectations, participation, and autonomy, in line with medical professionalism

Summary

Introduction

Patient-centered care has been associated with positive results in medical practice. Since its conception, patient-centered medicine has progressively gained great importance and, as supported by some authors such as Tsimtsiou et al.[1], it should be at the core of medical education. Patient-centered care is anchored in the consideration of the patient as an individual and prioritizes their expectations, participation, and autonomy, in line with medical professionalism. This type of care has a positive impact on the outcomes, and on the patients’ as well as the professionals’ satisfaction[2]. It may subsidize other studies that seek to directly influence the health care provided by future doctors and their teachers. In other words, it means improving the general population health care and the results of Medicine itself. We aimed to evaluate attitudes of students and teachers from a Brazilian medical school regarding the physician-patient relationship and verify associated factors

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion