Medical students' involvement in outpatient clinical encounters: a survey of patients and their obstetricians-gynecologists.

PURPOSE: To study women's prior exposure to medical students during office visits, and the association between this and other factors in the likelihood of patients consenting to medical students' involvement in obstetrical-gynecological (ob-gyn) care. Physicians also were surveyed regarding their perceptions of patients' preferences.

METHOD: In 1999-2000, an anonymous questionnaire was distributed for one week to all women scheduled for an ob-gyn visit and to their providers at six community campuses of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. The questionnaire asked for patients' demographic information and prior experience with medical students, factors important when deciding to allow medical students to participate in their care, and how knowledge of medical students' involvement influences patients' choice of an ob-gyn.

RESULTS

Seventy-two physicians and 1,059 patients returned the questionnaire. Four hundred eighty-eight (49%) patients reported prior experience with medical students. Patients and physicians rated interpersonal skills as most important when deciding about medical students' participation. Forty-three (63%) physicians thought students should participate in the history and physical examination compared to 299 (31%) patients. Prior experience with medical students was a major facilitating factor for medical students' involvement while patients' needs were a limiting factor. Patients' age and medical students' gender also predicted patients' attitudes.

CONCLUSIONS

Most women would allow medical students to participate in their care, a finding moderated by a number of factors. A small proportion of women were biased against participation of male medical students. Physicians overestimated patients' ratings and might themselves be a source of bias regarding medical students' involvement.