["Doctor" without being an M.D.--how do non-graduate MDs view medical dissertations?]

Both the ranking and the quality of medical dissertations have for some time been a controversial moot point. Previous studies showed that successful doctorate candidates still regard medical dissertations as a meaningful addition to medical studies. Studies on the views of the value have been placed on a medical dissertation by practising physicians who did not write a dissertation lacking to date. Using an anonymous questionnaire containing 16 questions we carried out a study of all the practising doctors in Mid-Franconia, Germany, who did not write a dissertation (n = 243). We asked about their intentions to write a dissertation, reasons for prematurely breaking off the dissertation and their views on the value of medical dissertations. Evaluation was carried out using descriptive statistics in the sense of an exploratory data analysis. The questionnaire was answered in a usable form by 140 physicians (return quote 58%). The average age of the participants was 44 years (33-89 years). The vast majority (89%) had attempted one or several dissertations, 32% still intended to write a dissertation. 59% regarded writing a dissertation alongside daily practice as very difficult of impossible. Private/family reasons were stated less often than deficits in planning, implementation and supervision for prematurely breaking off the dissertation. 65% of the practising physicians in Mid-Franconia who did not write a dissertation regard medical dissertation today as no longer relevant. 58% are of the opinion that the title "doctor" should be awarded automatically with the final exams. The majority of practising physicians asked had in the meantime given up their intention of writing a dissertation and today tend to disfavour medical dissertations. Nevertheless, one third of those who participated in the study still intend to write a dissertation. In view of this it should be discussed to what extent practising physicians interested in scientific questions can be helped to write a dissertation alongside their daily practice. In particular professors and lecturers of general medicine are called upon to make this possible.