MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM: A PANORAMIC VIEW THROUGH THE KALEIDOSCOPE OF STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES

Authors

  • Junaid Sarfraz Khan
  • Saima Tabasum

Abstract

Background: Recently, over the last couple of decades, great emphasis is being placed on the role ofprofessionalism in medical education. This interest has intensified following the positive relationshipidentified between unprofessional behaviour in medical schools and subsequent practice. This paperaims to develop an understanding of the perceptions of various stakeholders regarding the subject in thelocal setting and tries to relate it to the global context. Methods: This was a qualitative study conductedin 2011 involving the faculty and students of the University of Health Sciences Lahore. An open-endedquestionnaire was fashioned following brainstorming and utilising Delphi technique involvingrepresentatives of the students, faculty and the public. Responses from all the respondents were enteredinto Microsoft Excel data sheet and then imported into Qualitative Data Analysis Software ‘NVIVO 9’.Themes were extracted from the responses. Results: Overall 650 questionnaires were distributedamongst the faculty, students and general public. Response rates were 74%, 68% and 59% respectively.Commonalities and differences in the perceptions of the various stakeholders of medical professionincluding the medical practitioner, public and the medical students were identified. Conclusion: Theproduct of the healthcare professional education system needs to conform to the global standardsapplied within local settings. It is the identification of the local setting that is critical to devising a costeffective and efficient curriculum, which amongst others includes teaching/training/learning andpractice of professionalism.Keywords: Professionalism, Healthcare delivery, Medical Ethics, Behaviour, Community of Practice

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Published

2011-09-01

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 3 (2011): JOURNAL OF AYUB MEDICAL COLLEGE, ABBOTTABAD

Section

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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