Researchers conducted this study to discover what motivates patients who agree to doctors on postgraduate clinical training attachments in their care, explore potential adverse effects on patients, and consider how the experience could be improved.
The present study was a questionnaire survey of 103 female family planning clinic (FPC) patients. Patients were recruited from the waiting room of a community FPC.
Motivation could be classified into three categories: 84% of patients gave altruistic reasons for agreeing to see training doctors, 59% indicated the possibility of personal gain, and 49% felt some degree of obligation. Potential disadvantages to seeing training doctors included marginalization of patient care, the doctor-patient relationship’s strain, and exposure to possible discomfort or harm. The experience could be improved by involving patients more in the teaching process.
The study concluded that patients were motivated to become involved in training for various reasons, mainly altruism, personal gain, or a sense of obligation. There is evidence that patients may not be fully aware of the potential disadvantages of seeing a training doctor. Patients may benefit from being given more choice about their level of involvement to provide informed consent before seeing a training doctor. Patients should feel comfortable about saying no. There is potential to develop the teaching role of some of the most motivated patients.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/34/2/103
