Medical students and patient-centredness

A study of medical students in Victoria found that while their confidence increased over the course of two years of clinical training, their attitudes to patient centredness did not change.  They had positive attitudes throughout and "noted its importance in contributing to quality care".

The article, published in BMC Medical Education aimed to compare students' attitudes to these two important outcomes of medical education, and to see how the setting of their clinical placement influenced them.  The authors concluded that "a new generation of doctors with a strong patient-centred focus is emerging".  Patient centredness was encouraged and supported within their clinical placements and influenced by role modelling.

Ruth McNair, Leonie Griffiths, Katharine Reid, Hannah Sloan. (2016). Medical students developing confidence and patient centredness in diverse clinical settings: A longitudinal survey study.  BMC Medical Education, 16:176