PURPOSE: This study investigated medical students' attitudes toward academic misconduct that occurs in the learning environment during the pre-clinical and clinical periods. METHODS: Third-year medical students from seven medical schools were invited to participate in this study. A total of 337 of the 557 (60.5%) students completed an inventory assessing their attitudes toward academic misconduct. The inventory covered seven factors: scientific misconduct (eight items), irresponsibility in class (six items), disrespectful behavior in patient care (five items), dishonesty in clerkship tasks (four items), free riding on group assignments (four items), irresponsibility during clerkship (two items), and cheating on examinations (one item). RESULTS: Medical students showed a strict attitude toward academic misconduct such as cheating on examinations and disrespectful behavior in patient care, but they showed a less rigorous attitude toward dishonesty in clerkship tasks and irresponsibility in class. There was no difference in students' attitudes toward unprofessional behaviors by gender. The graduate medical school students showed a stricter attitude toward some factors of academic misconduct than the medical college students. This difference was significant for irresponsibility in class, disrespectful behavior in patient care, and free riding on group assignments. CONCLUSION: This study indicates a critical vulnerability in medical students' professionalism toward academic integrity and responsibility. Further study evidence is needed to confirm whether this professionalism lapse is confined only to this population or is pervasive in other medical schools as well.
Ethics ; Humans ; Learning ; Patient Care ; Professional Misconduct ; Professionalism ; Schools, Medical ; Scientific Misconduct ; Students, Medical

Physicians ; Professional Misconduct

Physicians ; Professional Misconduct

PURPOSE: Identifying medical students' perceptions of and experiences with unprofessional behavior in school can help them develop and maintain higher standards of professional ethics. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument that assesses medical students' attitudes toward academic misconduct. METHODS: A draft version of the questionnaire form was developed, based on an extensive literature review and iterative discussions. The validity of the content of this draft form was evaluated by medical students, physicians, and education specialists. A total of 803 medical students answered the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal axis factoring and Varimax rotation. A confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted by root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and comparative fit index (CFI). The internal consistency of the scales was calculated using the Cronbach alpha statistic. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis generated 6 factors with 29 items: scientific misconduct (8 items); irresponsibility in the class (6 items); disrespectful behavior in patient care (5 items); dishonesty in clerkship tasks (4 items); free-riding on group assignments (4 items); and irresponsibility during clerkship (2 items). After adding a single item that addressed cheating on examinations, a 30-item inventory was developed. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a favorable RMSEA (0.082) and reasonable fit (CFI, 0.844). The coefficient alpha for each factor varied between 0.80 and 0.90. CONCLUSION: Our instrument is useful in identifying students' ethical standards with regard to academics and examining the prevalence of unprofessional behavior in medical students.
Ethics, Professional ; Humans ; Patient Care ; Prevalence ; Scientific Misconduct ; Specialization ; Students, Medical ; Weights and Measures ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Physicians ; Professional Misconduct ; Professionalism ; education

PURPOSE: Medical professionalism is a fundamental competency for all physicians and continuous development of professionalism during residency training is crucial. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument assessing residents' attitudes toward unprofessional behaviors. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in cooperation with the Korea Resident Association from May to July 2013. A total of 317 residents from seven university-affiliated hospitals in South Korea participated in the survey. RESULTS: In the exploratory factor analysis, seven factors were extracted from the data; factor loadings of the 44 items ranged between 0.40 and 0.89. Through iterative discussion, three items below 0.45 were deleted and one additional item was removed due to its irrelevance. Twelve items included in Factor 1 were divided into two different categories. A final version of the questionnaire containing 40 items in eight categories was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. It was deemed to have a good fit; the root mean square error of approximation and comparative fit index were 0.07 and 0.9, respectively. The reliability (Cronbach's α) of the inventory was 0.97. CONCLUSION: The items of this instrument encompass a broad range of residents' behaviors in clinical practice, research, and publication. In addition, it includes some types of misconduct that can be considered unique features of the authors' cultural backgrounds. We recommend this instrument as an assessment tool to diagnose residents' perceptions and attitudes towards professionalism lapses and to provide insight regarding potential improvement in professionalism education.
Internship and Residency ; Korea ; Professional Misconduct ; Professionalism* ; Publications

No abstract available.
Humans ; Peer Review/*ethics ; Professional Misconduct/*ethics ; Publishing/*ethics

Recently, unprofessional behavior by physicians and misconduct by medical students have led to increased public concern over medical professionalism. Many studies have been conducted to explore strategies that reinforce professionalism education and prevent misconduct in medical students. However, most studies focused on defining the medical professionalism and its conceptual components. In this study, we conducted a conceptual analysis based on the literature review to categorize issues of unprofessional behavior, and identified doctors' indifference to self and others as the reason for the unprofessional behavior. In this regard, self-reflection provides a practical tool to overcome such indifference. We suggest ‘education and evaluation based on self-reflection and reflective practices’ as the effective strategies to enhance the professionalism in medical students.
Education, Medical ; Humans ; Professional Misconduct ; Professionalism ; Students, Medical

Clinical Competence ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Physicians ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Professional Misconduct ; Professional Practice ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Singapore

AIMTo determine the views of new house officers (HO) on professionalism and unprofessional behaviour following dismissal in January 2007 of a HO who was caught video-taping nurses in the shower.

METHODSAn anonymous self-administered questionnaire was administered during new house officers' orientation. Using a Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree), HO were asked to rank statements regarding teaching and their understanding of professionalism and professional behaviour, role model-clinicians, their response to 3 real-life examples of unprofessional behaviour, and dismissal and Singapore Medical Council (SMC) registration of the sacked HO. Participation was voluntary.

RESULTSTwenty-eight out of twenty-nine (96.6%) international medical graduates (IMG) and 84/95 (88%) house officers who graduated from National University of Singapore (NUS) responded. Their median age was 24 years and 63 of them were male. All IMG compared to 63.1% NUS HO agreed that professionalism was well taught in their medical school (P <0.0001). Majority (82.1%) of IMG compared to 67.9% NUS HO agreed they had adequate role model-clinicians exemplifying professionalism (P <0.0001). Majority (90.8%) of the respondents agreed that the sacked HO's behaviour was not pardonable, a smaller proportion (83.9%) agreed with dismissal but only half (52.7%) agreed that SMC should not register the sacked HO.

CONCLUSIONIn this study, only two-thirds of NUS HO felt that professionalism was well taught and they had adequate role models. NUS should review this aspect of medical education. Majority of HO agreed with the dismissal but only half felt the misdemeanor was serious enough for SMC not to register the sacked HO.

Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Personnel Administration, Hospital ; Professional Misconduct ; Singapore ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Videotape Recording ; Young Adult