Document Type : Original Article
Authors
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Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
2
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
10.21608/ejom.2025.383993.1370
Abstract
Introduction: Medical professionalism encompasses attitudes, values, and behaviours that health professionals must follow when performing their professions. Aim of Work: to assess professionalism among medical students at Zagazig University and to identify risk factors associated with lower levels of professionalism among them. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 425 medical students from different grades attending Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University from March to May 2025. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among participants to assess professional attributes and behaviours. Results: The current study included 425 medical students with age range from 18 to 30 years and mean age 21.27 years. Approximately 87% of them were Egyptians and 51.3% were males. About 31%, 36%, 39.8%, 54.4%, 40.8% of students had low commitment to patients’ best interest, honesty and integrity, professional competency, patient safety and educational responsibility respectively and overall, 30.1% of students had inadequate professionalism. Increasing age, perceiving that studying professionalism is of no importance or neutral importance, no history of receiving any self-directed study or extracurricular studies on professionalism, no history of hearing about professionalism and no previous bad experience with physician significantly independently increase risk of unprofessional behaviour by 1.277, 26.186, 4.369, 1.745, 2.067 and 1.701 folds respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations: Inadequate professionalism is a current problem that needs to be addressed. Bad experience with unprofessional behaviour, depending only on curricular content, and lack of interest in professionalism can be addressed as risk factors. Educational program and extracurricular activities can improve professionalism and ensure competent care provided by future doctors.
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