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Abstract:
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Background: Even though studying Medicine and perceiving abuse
seem to be two opposite situations, recent investigations in Chile and abroad find that this is a frequent
and pervasive combination. These studies also report the negative effects in the lives of students as well
as the impact on the profession as a whole. Aim: To ascertain the perception of abusive situations in
medical students during training at the University of Chile. Material and Methods: Descriptive and
cross sectional study in which a questionnaire was applied to all the students enrolled in 2nd, 3rd, 5th
and 7th year during 2001 and 2002. Using short vignettes, they were asked if they had experienced
verbal, psychological, physical and sexual abuse, at least once, during their training, by whom and the
eventual effects derived from it. Results: We obtained 757 questionnaires. Of the surveyed students,
91% reported having perceived at least one abusive episode during training. Teachers and fellow
students were identified as the main offenders. Among the effects of such behavior, 32% mentioned
that they considered dropping out of the career as a consequence of this experience. Discussion: The
perception of abuse in medical students is common and has adverse effects. Efforts should be made to
draw attention to this problem to prevent it. |