Attitudes towards patients with mental illness in Irish medical students

Background

A positive attitude to patients with mental illness is important in all branches of medicine, as it can impact on the quality of care patients receive from doctors. Attitudes of preclinical medical students is an under researched area.

Aims

This study aims to (1) assess the attitudes of preclinical and clinical medical students to patients with mental illness and (2) assess the effect of two modules taught using different teaching methods on students’ attitudes to patients with mental illness.

Methods

During the same academic year all students (N = 394) completing the year 3 preclinical psychiatry module and the final year psychiatry module completed an attitudinal questionnaire at the beginning and following completion of the module. Seventy-two percent of students completed both pre- and post-module questionnaires in full (n = 285).

Results

There was no significant difference in attitudes displayed by preclinical and clinical medical students prior to starting their respective modules. An association was found between female gender and more tolerant attitudes (r = 0.20, p = 0.02). Students who knew someone with experience of mental illness were associated with more tolerant attitudes (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). Final year students who completed the clinical module demonstrated a positive attitudinal shift (p < 0.001), and the attitudes of third and final year male students improved significantly following the module (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Given the high rates of physical illness in patients with mental health problems, specific educational initiatives to address medical student’s attitudes to patients with mental health problems should be an educational priority in medical school.     

Attitudes of medical students towards euthanasia in a multicultural setting

A cross-sectional survey of 400 medical students of multicultural backgrounds at the University of Malaya was conducted to understand their attitudes towards euthanasia and factors related to medical decisions and ethical reasoning concerning the prolongation of life, the right to die and euthanasia. The student respondents completed self-administered questionnaires that comprised of twelve questions with multiple stems addressing personal perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and decisions about euthanasia and the relief of suffering. The majority of respondents (52%) were for the withdrawal of active therapy in a patient suffering from a terminal painful disease while 48% of them were against it. Seventy-one percent of the students involved in the study were against the idea of active euthanasia i.e. the administration of a lethal injection. However, 27% of the respondents felt that there was a moral justification to assist patients to die. Thirty-two percent of the respondents favoured the legalization of euthanasia in Malaysia while 67% of them were strongly against it. The majority (61%) of respondents would not practice euthanasia as a doctor nor would they have performed on themselves if or when it became legal. The main issue surrounding euthanasia that concerned the respondents was the misuse of it by unethical practitioners and they felt that further debate on the matter was essential, both within the local and international communities.     

医学生对"全球医学教育最低基本要求"的态度

为了解医学生对于国际医学教育专门委员会（ⅡME）制定的“全球医学教育最低基本要求（GMER）”的认知与态度,为GMER在我国部分高等医学院试行提供参考信息,对四川省大学华西临床医学院临床医学专业0一级新生和0二届毕业生进行问卷调查。结果表明：大多数医学生认为GMER的7个领域重要或非常重要,其中“群体健康和卫生系统”的重要性位居最末。说明医学生对于GMER的7个领域普遍认同,但应加强对他们有关“群体健康和卫生系统”重要性的教学。     

高等医学院校师生对人文课程的效果评价

生命科学的进化使医学科学日益呈现出综合化和多元化的发展趋势 ,并与自然科学、社会科学、人文科学、工程技术科学相互渗透融合 ,形成一些新的交叉学科 ,从而促进医学自身的发展。医学科学的发展也对新型医学人才的培养模式提出了严峻的挑战 ,要求现代医学人才既精通专业知识 ,又具有宽泛的人文社科知识 [1 ] 。高等医学院校人文课程已越来越受到重视 ,如何更合理、更优化地设置医学院校人文课程 ,使人文课程真正起到提高医学生人文素养 ,培养医学生积极的创新意识的作用 ,为此 ,研究与改革医学院校师生对现行人文课程效果评价具有重要的现…     

哲学素养——医学研究生必备的素质

针对医学研究生的特点 ,分析了哲学素养对医学研究生全面发展的重要性。加强哲学素养是医学研究生适应医学模式转变的需要 ,是提高思维能力的需要 ,也是提高研究生道德水平的需要