Wide cleft between theory and practice: medical students' perception of their education in patient and medication safety.

Abstract

In medicine today, future doctors are expected to ensure patient safety. Yet medical students often feel uncertain if they can meet these high expectations. This study aims to quantify the perceptions of medical students regarding the actual quality of their education in the fields of patient safety and, in particular, medication safety. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to about 100 upper-level medical students. The students had to respond to 12 questions regarding the following categories: 1) familiarity with patient safety and/or medication safety; 2) personal experience in high-risk clinical situations; and 3) perceived relevance of knowledge in the area of patient and medication Safety for clinical practice. Of the respondents 42.1% and 36.8% had delved into the topic patient safety and medication safety, respectively. In clinical practice 88.2% of respondents had experienced a high-risk situation for patients. Regarding patient safety and medication safety, respectively, 82.9% and 85.3% of the respondents found these topics to be particularly relevant to their clinical practice. This study has shown that there is a measurable discrepancy between the students' perceived quality of their medical education and their feelings that they are well prepared to cope with severe clinical challenges.