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Published on: August 1, 2019
Experience and attitudes of final-year medical students to digital rectal examination
Nathan Lawrentschuk1, Damien M Bolton
1Department of Surgery and Urology, University of Melbourne, Austin Hospital, Studley Rd, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia. nayjay@ozemail.com.au
Objective:
To assess the attitudes of final-year medical students to digital rectal examination (DRE) and their experience of performing DRE during clinical training.
Design:
Questionnaire-based survey.
Setting And Participants:
All students in the final year of medical school at the University of Melbourne in 2003.
Outcome Measures:
Agreement with statements about attitude to DRE; number of DREs performed and abnormalities palpated; and ratings of frequency of supervision and perceived barriers to performing DRE.
Results:
222 of 256 students (87%) responded. Almost all (97%) believed that DRE is an essential requirement for a medical practitioner, and 94% that they should have the skill before graduating, while 92% said they had been taught how to perform it. The median number of DREs performed was two, with 17% of students performing none. Sixty-three per cent had palpated a prostate, 24% a prostate cancer, 19% a rectal tumour, and 11% faecal constipation. Half the students (52%) felt they could give a reasonable or confident opinion based on their DRE findings. The most often cited reason for not performing DREs was the lack of a doctor to act as a supervisor.
Conclusions:
A concerted effort is needed from academics, supervising doctors and students to improve medical students' proficiency in performing DRE and confidence about their findings.
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