医学专业和非医学专业大学生艾滋病知信行比较研究

目的:了解综合性大学医学专业和非医学专业学生艾滋病相关的知识、行为以及态度,为制定全面系统的大学生艾滋病健康教育提供科学建议。方法:自行设计调查问卷,采用多级分层整群抽样方法选取医学生229名、非医学生1412名进行问卷调查。结果:医学生与非医学生对艾滋病基本知识和传播途径的知晓率差异有统计学意义;医学生与非医学生对待AIDS态度的差异有统计学意义;在两类学生中仍然存在AIDS相关高危险行为,且在大多数行为上都没有表现出明显差异;两类学生所获得AIDS知识主要来源于电视广播和互联网媒体。结论:无论是在艾滋病相关知识的掌握情况上,还是在对待艾滋病或艾滋患者的态度上,医学生的情况都好于非医学学生;两类学生对于艾滋病三大传播途径的知晓率和艾滋病基础知识的掌握情况都较高。教育专家应根据不同专业的特点以及学生要求的教育方式,制定系统的、针对性强的大学生AIDS健康教育措施;利用医学生特殊身份,在针对非医学专业同学进行AIDS健康教育的过程中发挥同伴教育的作用;动用全社会的力量,对大学生进行科学的AIDS健康教育。     

Perceptions of professional attributes in medicine: a qualitative study in Hong Kong

OBJECTIVE. Medical professionalism has been widely discussed in western scholarly literature. However, since Hong Kong has a mixed Chinese-western culture, it remains uncertain whether Hong Kong health care professionals, medical students, and patients see medical professionalism in exactly the same way as westerners. The objective of the present study was to explore perceptions of medical professionalism in Hong Kong. DESIGN. Individual semi-structured interviews. SETTING. Medical faculty preceptors, residents, interns, nurses, and students from the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong. Subjects were recruited at an out-patient clinic of Queen Mary Hospital. PARTICIPANTS. We interviewed 39 subjects, including six medical faculty preceptors, six hospital residents, four medical interns, eight nurses, eight out-patients, and seven medical students. The interviews were transcribed and coded. Grounded theory was employed for framing and analysing the interviews. RESULTS. A total of 30 primary themes were identified and grouped under three secondary themes, ie 'Expectations of a professional doctor', 'Work values', and 'Patient care'. In general, the primary themes were consistent with recognised professional attributes in western bioethics, such as knowledge and skills, holistic care, and communication skills. A closer analysis suggested that traditional Chinese thought also played an important role in shaping the medical professionalism of Hong Kong. Challenges to be faced by Hong Kong doctors due to recent social changes were also identified. CONCLUSIONS. Medical professionalism in Hong Kong is shaped by both western medical ethics and traditional Chinese thought. The values treasured by Hong Kong health care professionals as well as technological advance, and the city's proximity to Mainland China makes Hong Kong health care unique. It is important to maintain the present work attitudes and at the same time adapt to new social changes.     

Should cancer patients be informed about their diagnosis and prognosis? Future doctors and lawyers differ

OBJECTIVES: To compare attitudes of medical and law students toward informing a cancer patient about diagnosis and prognosis and to examine whether differences are related to different convictions about benefit or harm of information. Setting and design: Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to convenience samples of students at the University of Geneva containing four vignettes describing a cancer patient who wishes, or alternatively, who does not wish to be told the truth. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and twenty seven medical students and 168 law students. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five point Likert scale of responses to the vignettes ranging from "certainly inform" to "certainly not inform" the patient. RESULTS: All medical students and 96% of law students favoured information about the diagnosis of cancer if the patient requests it. Seventy four per cent of medical students and 82% of law students favoured informing a cancer patient about his or her prognosis (p = 0.0003). Thirty five per cent of law students and 11.7% of medical students favoured telling about the diagnosis (p = 0.0004) and 25.6% of law students and 7% of medical students favoured telling about the prognosis (p < 0.0001) even if the patient had clearly expressed his wish not to be informed. Law students indicated significantly more often than medical students reasons to do with the patient's good, legal obligations, and the physician's obligation to tell the truth, and significantly less often than medical students that their attitude had been determined predominantly by respect for the autonomous choice of the patient. CONCLUSION: Differences in attitudes according to the type of case and the type of studies were related to convictions about the benefit or harm to the patient caused by being given information. The self reported reasons of future physicians and future lawyers are helpful when considering means to achieve a better acceptance of patients' right to know and not to know.     

基于医患沟通技能提升的医学生医德教育的思考

医学生医患沟通技能缺失与医学生自身的心理及主观学习态度有关,更是目前医德教育体系不完善的折射。作者提出医患沟通技能培训是医德教育的重要内容,应立足医学生医患沟通技能提升,进一步完善高校医德教育体系。     

陕西省某中医学院大学生对同性恋的认知态度调查

目的:了解当代中医院校不同专业、不同性别大学生对同性恋认知和态度差异。方法:对陕西中医学院三个专业的600名大学生进行同性恋的认知和态度调查,采用粤港澳三地大学生对同性恋认知的比较量表。结果:大学生对同性恋均可以理性理解。在某些项目上女生比男生表现出宽容,男生对同性恋的态度较相对保守(P<0.05);英语专业的学生对同性恋比较宽容,中医学和中西医临床专业的学生则相对保守(P<0.05)。结论:目前该校三个专业大学生对同性恋行为能够正确认识,但态度仍有待提高,学校应该利用多种渠道对大学生进行正确引导和教育。     

'Do not resuscitate' orders. Incidence and implications in a medical-intensive care unit

"Do not resuscitate" (DNR) decisions were examined in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) of a 1,000-bed hospital. Seventy-one (14%) of 506 study patients were designated DNR; nine survived hospitalization. Severity of illness, age, and prior health were predictive of DNR orders; race and socioeconomic factors were not. The DNR patients consumed more resources, both before and after DNR orders. Interventions started before DNR designation were continued in at least 76% of patients. Documented justifications of DNR decisions included poor prognosis (59%), poor quality of life (24%), and patients' wishes (15%). There were no written justifications for the DNR decisions in 30 cases (42%). Although willingness to write DNR orders in an MICU and continued active treatment of DNR patients are both reassuring in a general sense, they raise questions about the consistency of treatment plans and goals for individual patients.     

Variability in physicians' decisions on caring for chronically ill elderly patients: an international study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine what treatment decisions physicians will make when faced with an incompetent elderly patient with life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding and to identify the factors that affect their decisions. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Family practice, medical and geriatrics rounds in academic medical centres and community hospitals in seven countries. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians who regularly cared for incompetent elderly patients. OUTCOME MEASURE: A self-administered questionnaire containing three case vignettes. Each provided the same details on an incompetent elderly patient; however, one gave no information about the wishes of the patient and his family (no directive), the second provided a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) request, and the third included a detailed therapeutic and resuscitative effort chart (DTREC) requesting maximum therapeutic care without admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). The four treatment options were supportive care only, limited therapeutic care, maximum therapeutic care without admission to the ICU and maximum care with admission to the ICU. MAIN RESULTS: Treatment decisions varied and were systematically related to age, level of training and country (p less than 0.001). The older physicians and those in family medicine were less likely than the others to choose aggressive treatment options. Brazilian and US physicians were the most aggressive; Australian physicians were the most conservative. The DNR request resulted in a significant decrease in the number of physicians choosing aggressive options (p less than 0.001). The DTREC resulted in a move toward more aggressive treatment, as outlined in the directive (p less than 0.001). Overall, however, about 40% of the physicians chose a level of care different from what had been requested. Furthermore, over 10% would have tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation despite the DNR request. CONCLUSION: Treatment of incompetent elderly patients with life-threatening illness varies widely within and between countries. Uniform standards should be developed on the basis of societal values and be communicated to physicians.     

End of life decisions: attitudes of Finnish physicians

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated Finnish physicians' experiences of decisions concerning living wills and do not resuscitate (DNR) orders and also their views on the role of patients and family members in these decisions. DESIGN: A questionnaire was sent to 800 physicians representing the following specialties: general practice (n = 400); internal medicine (n = 207); neurology (n = 100), and oncology (n = 93). RESULTS: The response rate was 56%. Most of the respondents had a positive attitude toward (92%), and respect for (86%) living wills, and 72% reported situations in which such a will would have been helpful, although experience with their use was limited. The physicians reported both benefits and problems with living wills. Thirteen per cent had completed a living will of their own. Half did not consider living wills to be reliable if they were several years old. Do not resuscitate orders were interpreted in two ways: resuscitation forbidden (70%) or only palliative (symptom oriented) care required (30%). The respondents also documented DNR orders differently. Seventy two per cent discussed DNR decisions always or often with patients able to communicate, and even 76% discussed DNR orders with the family members of patients unable to communicate. Most respondents were able to approach a dying patient without difficulty. They also felt that education in general was needed. CONCLUSIONS: In general Finnish physicians accept living wills, but find they are accompanied by several problems. Many problems could be avoided if physicians and patients conducted progressive discussions about living wills. The differing interpretations of DNR orders are a matter of concern in that they may affect patient treatment. The promotion of patient autonomy with respect to treatment seems rather good, but the limitations of the study need to be kept in mind.     

Survey of Japanese physicians'' attitudes towards the care of adult patients in persistent vegetative state.

OBJECTIVES: Ethical issues have recently been raised regarding the appropriate care of patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS) in Japan. The purpose of our study is to study the attitudes and beliefs of Japanese physicians who have experience caring for patients in PVS. DESIGN AND SETTING: A postal questionnaire was sent to all 317 representative members of the Japan Society of Apoplexy working at university hospitals or designated teaching hospitals by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The questionnaire asked subjects what they would recommend for three hypothetical vignettes that varied with respect to a PVS patient's previous wishes and the wishes of the family. RESULTS: The response rate was 65%. In the case of a PVS patient who had no previous expressed wishes and no family, 3% of the respondents would withdraw artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) when the patient did not require any other life-sustaining treatments, 4% would discontinue ANH, and 30% would withhold antibiotics when the patient developed pneumonia. Significantly more respondents (17%) would withdraw ANH in the case of a PVS patient whose previous wishes and family agreed that all life support be discontinued. Most respondents thought that a patient's written advance directives would influence their decisions. Forty per cent of the respondents would want to have ANH stopped and 31% would not want antibiotics administered if they were in PVS. CONCLUSIONS: Japanese physicians tend not to withdraw ANH from PVS patients. Patients' written advance directives, however, would affect their decisions.     

Attitudes, knowledge, and actions with regard to organ donation among Hong Kong medical students

OBJECTIVE. To study attitudes, knowledge, and actions of local medical students with regard to organ donation and self-perceived confidence and competence in approaching potential organ donors. DESIGN. Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. SETTING. Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS. Medical students, years 1-5. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Knowledge on various aspects of organ donation was assessed, and students' self-evaluated competence and confidence about counselling for organ donation was evaluated. Factors influencing attitudes and actions were determined. RESULTS. The response rate was 94% (655/694). A majority (85%) had a 'positive' attitude, but only a small proportion (23%) had signed the organ donation card. Inconvenience and lack of knowledge about organ donor registration, and concerns about premature termination of medical treatment accounted for such discrepancies. Socio-cultural factors such as the traditional Chinese belief in preservation of an intact body after death, unease discussing death-related issues, and family objections to organ donation were significantly associated with a 'negative' attitude. Knowledge and action increased with medical education yet only a small proportion of medical students felt competent and confident in counselling patients on organ donation. CONCLUSIONS. The medical curriculum should increase medical students' awareness of the organ shortage problem. The donor registration system should be made more convenient and public education is recommended to correct misconceptions.     

Factors affecting physicians' decisions on caring for an incompetent elderly patient: an international study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine what treatment decisions physicians will make when faced with a hypothetical incompetent elderly patient with life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding and to examine the relative importance of physician characteristics and factors (legal and ethical concerns, hospital costs, level of dementia, patient's age, physician's religion, patient's wishes and family's wishes) in making those decisions. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Family practice, medical and geriatrics rounds in academic medical centres and community hospitals in seven countries. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians who regularly cared for incompetent elderly patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A self-administered questionnaire describing the elderly patient. Respondents were asked to choose one of four levels of care and to identify the level of importance factors had in making that decision. Older physicians, those less concerned about litigation, those for whom the level of dementia was important and those for whom the patient's age was important were expected to give less aggressive care than the other physicians. MAIN RESULTS: Supportive care was chosen by 8.1% of the respondents, limited therapeutic care by 41.5%, maximum therapeutic care without admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) by 32.2% and maximum care with admission to the ICU by 18.2%. The patient's wishes were reported by 91.0% as being extremely or very important in choosing the treatment. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that the following variables independently predicted the level of treatment: level of dementia, country of residence, duration of practice, legal concerns, patient's age and ethical concerns. These factors were significantly correlated with the physicians' treatment choices (p less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The importance that the physicians placed on the level of dementia was the strongest predictor of the level of care that would be provided. A societal consensus on the influence of cognitive function on the appropriate level of care as well as training of physicians in ethical issues are required.     

Doctors' authoritarianism in end-of-life treatment decisions. A comparison between Russia, Sweden and Germany

Objectives—The study was performed in order to investigate how end-of-life decisions are influenced by cultural and sociopolitical circumstances and to explore the compliance of doctors with patient wishes Participants and measurement—Five hundred and thirty-five physicians were surveyed in Sweden (Umeå), Germany (Rostock and Neubrandenburg), and in Russia (Arkhangelsk) by a questionnaire. The participants were recruited according to availability and are not representative. The questionnaire is based on the one developed by Molloy and co-workers in Canada which contains three case vignettes about an 82-year-old Alzheimer patient with an acute life-threatening condition; the questionnaire includes different levels of information about his treatment wishes. We have added various questions about attitudes determining doctors'' decision making process (legal and ethical concerns, patient''s and family wishes, hospital costs, patient''s age and level of dementia and physician''s religion). Results—Swedish physicians chose fewer life-prolonging interventions as compared with the Russian and the German doctors. Swedish physicians would perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the event of a cardiac arrest less frequently, followed by the German doctors. More than half the Russian physicians decided to perform CPR irrespective of the available information about the patient''s wishes. Level of dementia emerged as the most powerful determining attitude-variable for the decision making in all three countries. Conclusions—The lack of compliance with patient wishes among a substantial number of doctors points to the necessity of emphasising ethical aspects both in medical education and clinical practice. The inconsistency in the treatment decisions of doctors from different countries calls for social consensus in this matter. Key Words: End-of-life decision • DNR order • advance directive • physicians • cross-cultural comparison • survey     

合肥市大学生对甲型H7N9禽流感KAP调查

目的研究医学生与非医学生之间对甲型H7N9禽流感认知、态度和行为方面的差异性,为在学校中开展H7N9型禽流感知识教育提供科学依据。方法在合肥市某2所大学随机分层整群抽取1—3年级医学与非医学生共550名。采用自行设计的问卷进行问卷调查,通过x。检验进行比较。结果在“病毒来源”、“病毒灭活温度”及“传播方式”的医学生的正确回答率分别为：27．7％、5．5％、23．8％,非医学生的正确回答率分别为：12．5％、1．4％、18．0％。医学生和非医学生对此次禽流感感到轻微的害怕率分别为：50．2％、62．7％,二者差异存在统计学意义（P=0．004）。大学生中已采取的预防措施答题率均低于50％。结论大学生对H7N9型禽流感科学认知度偏低,医学生在对禽流感的正确认识、态度及采取的预防措施方面较非医学生好。因此,相关部门及学校需要适度的加强宣传教育,提高大学生对疫情的认知度及采取科学的防控措施。     

Public attitudes toward the right to die.

OBJECTIVE: To determine public attitudes toward the right to die, euthanasia and related end-of-life decisions. DESIGN: Mail survey based on telephone numbers randomly selected by computer. SETTING: Edmonton. PARTICIPANTS: Of 1347 computer-generated, randomly selected telephone numbers called between February and June 1992, 902 individuals were reached, and 500 eligible contacts (55%) agreed to fill out the mailed questionnaire based on 12 vignettes involving end-of-life decisions. A total of 356 usable questionnaires (71%) were subsequently returned. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes toward end-of-life decisions including withdrawal of life support, euthanasia, chronic suffering and the right to die, living wills and family involvement in decision making for incompetent individuals. Comments and demographic data were also solicited. RESULTS: Of the respondents 84% supported a family's right to withdraw life support from a patient in a persistent coma, and 90% supported a mentally competent patient's right to request that life support be withdrawn. Active euthanasia was supported by 65% for only patients experiencing severe pain and terminal illness. There was marked opposition to euthanasia for patients in other circumstances, such as an elderly disabled person who feels he or she is a burden on relatives (opposed by 65%), a patient with chronic depression resistant to treatment (by 75%) or an elderly person no longer satisfied with life and who has various minor physical ailments (by 83%). In all, 63% of the respondents felt that legalization of euthanasia for terminal illnesses would lead to euthanasia for many other, unsupported reasons, and 34% supported legislation to prohibit euthanasia in all situations. CONCLUSIONS: Public support for the right to die varies depending on the circumstances of the patient. The single most significant factor determining attitudes was the level of religious activity. The family's wishes were an important factor in end-of-life decisions for patients unable to communicate their desires. Both the general public and physicians should be primary participants in determining legislation regarding the right to die.     

Medical decisions concerning the end of life: a discussion with Japanese physicians.

OBJECTIVES: Life-sustaining treatment at the end of life gives rise to many ethical problems in Japan. Recent surveys of Japanese physicians suggested that they tend to treat terminally ill patients aggressively. We studied why Japanese physicians were reluctant to withhold or withdraw life-support from terminally ill patients and what affected their decisions. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A qualitative study design was employed, using a focus group interview with seven physicians, to gain an in-depth understanding of attitudes and rationales in Japan regarding medical care at the end of life. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that physicians and patients' family members usually make decisions about life-sustaining treatment, while the patients' wishes are unavailable or not taken into account. Both physicians and family members tend to consider withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment as abandonment or even killing. The strongest reason to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation- and to continue it until patients' family members arrive-seems to be the family members' desire to be at the bedside at the time of death. All physicians participating in our study regarded advance directives that provide information as to patients' wishes about life-sustaining treatment desirable. All expressed concern, however, that it would be difficult to forego or discontinue life-support based on a patient's advance directive, particularly when the patient's family opposed the directive. CONCLUSION: Our group interview suggested several possible barriers to death with dignity and the appropriate use of advance directives in Japan. Further qualitative and quantitative research in this regard is needed.     

某医科大学医学生健康知识知晓状况调查

目的:了解医学生健康知识知晓现状并探讨相关影响因素,为有针对性地开展健康教育工作提供依据。方法:采用问卷调查法对某医科大学学生的健康知识现状进行调查与分析。结果:医学生基础健康知识知晓率较低;男性、新生以及医学其他专业的学生健康知识知晓现状较差。结论:学校应根据调查结果针对不同的专业、性别以及年级学生状况给予不同的健康教育与健康促进指导,同时发挥政府的主导作用。     

医护本科学生对待死亡及临终关怀态度的调查

目的 了解医科大学护理及医疗专业学生对待死亡及临终关怀的态度。方法 对某医科大学护理、临床医学、口腔医学专业的349名本科医学生进行对待死亡及临终关怀态度的问卷调查。结果 医护本科学生对待个人、患者死亡及濒死的态度，以及对医院临终关怀现状认识均不如医护工作人员积极，但有着更为积极临终关怀照护的态度；21．6％学生认为自己了解临终关怀学，88％学生觉得自己有必要学习临终关怀知识。结论 医学生对待死亡及临终关怀态度应进一步加强，对临终关怀教育是必要可行的。     

Impact of specialty on attitudes of Australian medical practitioners to end-of-life decisions

OBJECTIVE: To compare attitudes and practices of Australian medical practitioners, by specialty, to a range of medical decisions at the end of life. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: As part of an international study, in 2003, a structured questionnaire was mailed to 2964 medical practitioners drawn from membership registers of Australian and Australasian professional colleges. Data from 1478 questionnaires were statistically analysed using validated instruments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Practitioners' willingness to comply with requests from patients and/or their relatives for symptom relief which might also hasten death; provision of terminal sedation and euthanasia, or willingness to provide these on their own initiative. RESULTS: Respondents reported being much more willing to comply with a patient's request for increasing symptom relief, even at risk of hastening death, than for terminal sedation. Over a quarter of respondents would provide terminal sedation to competent patients on their own initiative. A small number of respondents would intentionally hasten death. There were significant differences by specialty for all three actions. Oncologists, palliative care physicians and geriatricians were least likely to actively hasten death, and more likely to act unilaterally to relieve symptoms as a medical necessity. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions about the causation of death and aspects of medical culture appear to influence physicians' attitudes towards medical decisions at the end of life. Our findings have implications for medical education, interprofessional communication and discussion between the medical profession and the community.     

Ethics and law in the field of medical care for the elderly in France.

The authors discuss law and ethics when medical decisions are to be taken by patients who are unable in any valid sense to express their own wishes. The main problem in legal terms is to protect an individual's free will as far as possible and ensure that his or her wishes, if known, are respected. If a patient's independent wishes cannot be known, then we must at least ensure that nothing is imposed which is not in his interest. Legal measures, however, are far from adequate in resolving all the concrete problems that emerge. The field of ethics does bring some better adapted solutions, but none is laid down in law. One such approach, involving a multidisciplinary advisory group in a department of geriatrics, is discussed.     

Effect of nonmedical factors on family physicians' decisions about referral for consultation.

OBJECTIVES: To identify nonmedical factors perceived by family physicians (FPs) and consultants as important influences on decisions about referral for consultation, to determine the relative frequency with which such factors are cited and to identify those factors ranked as most important by the FPs and consultants. DESIGN: Survey with semistructured interview between July 1989 and April 1990. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 41 FPs and 20 consultants who were practising or had practised previously in Nova Scotia. INTERVENTIONS: The questionnaire comprised 10 questions: 4 were nondirective "probes" designed to elicit responses without suggesting possible answers, 2 asked the participants to rank such responses in order of importance, and 4 were "prompts" that asked for comments about a list of factors based on a review of the literature. RESULTS: A total of 4845 discrete items were mentioned as being capable of influencing FPs' decisions about referral for consultation. Aggregation of related items resulted in a list of 35 nonmedical factors, of which 11 were identified by at least half the respondents and 14 by less than half but more than 10. These 25 factors fell into three categories: patient and family factors (e.g., patient's wishes), FP and consultant factors (e.g., FP's capabilities), and other influences (e.g., style of practice). On the basis of both frequency of identification and priority scores "patient's wishes" emerged as the most important factor. Two medical factors that were consistently cited--type of problem and age of patient--were thought to interact with the other factors. CONCLUSION: Certain nonmedical considerations may substantially affect physicians' referral practices.