Professional health-patient relationship: from the perspective of students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: On a daily basis, health professionals work in clinical consultation in the face of bioethical principles such as: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice^1,2. Topics where the perception of health professionals and patients may differ.

OBJETIVE: of this study was to determine the perception of current bioethical principles in the student community as future health professionals.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of first-year students of the Nutrition and Dentistry careers of the Catholic University of Córdoba (UCC), after signing the informed consent. They anonymously and voluntarily completed the Questionnaire: Health Professional-Patient Relationship, validated at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile^3,4. The questionnaire consists of five dimensions and 52 questions, divided by dimensions: Dehumanization of Health Dimension, Anthropological Dimension and Health Professional-Patient Relationship Dimension, which in turn has different models: Paternalistic or Hippocratic, Technological, Legal, Commercial or Consumerist and Alliance. At the same time, they are divided into relationships, which by drawing lots of dimensions, models and relationships at this time only the Discrimination and Supply-Demand relationship will be exposed.

CONSIDERACIONES ETICAS: Study approved by the Ethics Committee of UCC-Clínica Universitaria Reina Fabiola.

RESULTS: 56% of the students surveyed think that the patient who can afford to pay receives better care. 65% believe that patients are not discriminated against because of their religion. Respondents believe that there is more discrimination on the basis of age, sex and religion than on the basis of homosexuality. 62% of respondents think it is better to sign legal documents before a notary and 72% to some degree believe that the professional should consider the legal consequences before attending to the patient. 67% of first-year students agree to some degree with care, they should follow the laws of supply and demand like any trade.

CONCLUSIONS: The students surveyed had a relatively different opinion from what would be desired by society and as future health professionals⁵. It would be interesting to repeat the survey when they are in professional practice, since the health professional-patient relationship can determine the success or failure of the treatment.