Descriptors for unprofessional behaviours of medical students: a systematic review and categorisation

Abstract

BackgroundDeveloping professionalism is a core task in medical education. Unfortunately, it has remained difficult for educators to identify medical students’ unprofessionalism, because, among other reasons, there are no commonly adopted descriptors that can be used to document students’ unprofessional behaviour. This study aimed to generate an overview of descriptors for unprofessional behaviour based on research evidence of real-life unprofessional behaviours of medical students.MethodsA systematic review was conducted searching PubMed, Ebsco/ERIC, Ebsco/PsycINFO and Embase.com from inception to 2016. Articles were reviewed for admitted or witnessed unprofessional behaviours of undergraduate medical students.ResultsThe search yielded 11,963 different studies, 46 met all inclusion criteria. We found 205 different descriptions of unprofessional behaviours, which were coded into 30 different descriptors, and subsequently classified in four behavioural themes: failure to engage, dishonest behaviour, disrespectful behaviour, and poor self-awareness.ConclusionsThis overview provides a common language to describe medical students’ unprofessional behaviour. The framework of descriptors is proposed as a tool for educators to denominate students’ unprofessional behaviours. The found behaviours can have various causes, which should be explored in a discussion with the student about personal, interpersonal and/or institutional circumstances in which the behaviour occurred. Explicitly denominating unprofessional behaviour serves two goals: [i] creating a culture in which unprofessional behaviour is acknowledged, [ii] targeting students who need extra guidance. Both are important to avoid unprofessional behaviour among future doctors.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-017-0997-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tutor uncertainty in dealing with unprofessional behaviours of medical students and trainees: a mixed methods study

“…Of the schools which did offer this professionalism awareness training to faculty, this was done so via faculty development programs. 6,19 Our study highlights a gap knowledge and availability of appropriate resources aiming to teach clinical teachers, rather than faculty, about the identi cation and assessment of professional identity formation.…”

“…Insu cient time for discussion with student and also for institutional reporting practices have also been described previously. 19 Limited time to identify and managing unprofessionalism issues can also lead to a lack of uncertainty for tutors in reporting incidences, either formally or informally. 23 This was highlighted in relation to con dence in dealing with a professionalism issue.…”

Iranian senior dental students as future role models of good health behaviour – a ten year study

“…Also, signi cance and potential of role modeling in dental education should be appreciated to avoid unprofessional behaviour among future dentists. This should particularly be targeted to those students with extra need of guidance [32]. These activities could help dental students as future dentists to develop professional characteristics that would facilitate them to serve as role models for the public in acquiring and maintaining health-promoting behaviours.…”

Investigating Patient Preferences in Medical Student Attire in the Outpatient Otolaryngology Setting

“…In a review on the topic of unprofessional behaviors of medical students, failure to maintain professional appearance and attire, as well as, poor condition of white coats belonged to the theme of ''disrespectful behavior.'' 12 Although there is a great deal of literature on physician attire, there has been much less research regarding medical student attire and its influence on their interactions with patients. Our findings help fill this gap in the literature.…”