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21-May-2008
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Arch Hellen Med, 25(2), March-April 2008, 184-190 ORIGINAL PAPER Comparative assessment of self-reported satisfaction in attaining basic skills G. LAVRANOS, A. NIKOLAOU, C. KOLIAKI, A. ANGELIDI, E. MARTINOU, G. BAKOLAS, A. TERZIDIS, E. PETRIDOU |
OBJECTIVE To assess self-reported satisfaction in attaining skills of basic preventive medicine and completion of death certificates among undergraduate students in two of the seven medical schools in Greece, in order to identify deficiencies and explore their underlying causes.
METHOD Anonymized questionnaires concerning perceived capacity to perform five basic clinical skills were distributed to a random sample of 188 students, constituting one third of the total number of undergraduate students in the fifth year of study in two medical schools, A and B, of Greece. Self-assessed skills included (a) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), (b) vaccination administration, (c) Mantoux tuberculin skin test administration and evaluation, (d) Heimlich maneuver, and (e) completion of a death certificate. Cross-tabulations and the x2 statistical test were used for analysis.
RESULTS A relatively low proportion of students ranging from 36.5% (death certificate) to 68.6% (CRP) in school A and from 31.3% (CRP) to 53.1% (Mantoux/ Heimlich) in school B perceived that attainment of the aforementioned five skills was satisfactory. In comparative terms, perceived training was considered of statistically significantly higher quality in school A only with regards to CRP (P<0.001). �t is noteworthly, overall, less than 50% of the students reported that they had attained the examined skills exclusively through the formal university training curriculum.
CONCLUSIONS Overall, medical education and training in basic preventive medical skills cannot be considered problem-free based on the self-reporting of fifthyear medical students. Differences in attainment of individual skills appear to reflect the variable formal curricula in each school. School A had responded to the current nosological spectrum by putting more emphasis on CRP training, a fact which is reflected in statistically significantly higher satisfaction levels on the part of the students. A welcome finding is that the students themselves are seeking alternative channels to compensate for perceived gaps in their undergraduate training.
Key words: Medical training, Preventive medicine, Self-assessment skills.
