Patient attitudes towards medical students at Damascus University teaching hospitals

This cross-sectional study was conducted at three teaching hospitals affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University. Four hundred patients were interviewed between March and April 2011 by a trained sociologist using a structured questionnaire.Of the patients interviewed, 67.8% approved the presence of medical students during the medical consultation and 58.2% of them felt comfortable with the presence of students, especially among patients with better socio-economic characteristics. 81.5% of the patients agreed to be examined by students in the presence of the supervisor, while 40.2% gave agreement even in the absence of the supervisor. Privacy was the most important factor in the patients' reticence towards examination by the students, whilst the relative safety and comfort if a supervisor was available determined patients' agreement.The study concluded overall positive attitudes to the medical students' involvement in medical education. However, it is essential that students and clinical supervisors understand and adhere to professional and ethical conduct when involving patients in medical education.Clinical teaching is central to medical student education [1,2]. Contact with patients remains a vital component in the education of medical students. Encounters with patients can promote contextual and clinical learning, improve communication and professional skills and initiate the development of a future doctor-patient relationship [3]. Patients' willingness to cooperate and contribute to the education and training of medical students provide better teaching opportunities for students at most levels of patient care [3,4].Modern healthcare consumers are active participants in choosing their care, leading to difficulty in training students if patients decline their involvement. With increased focus on patients' rights and informed consent, patients can and should now choose whether to have medical students present during their consultations. However, co