Academic disintegrity among medical students: a randomised response technique study.
Sameh Mortaz Hejri1, Kazem Zendehdel, Fariba Asghari
1Tehran University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Tehran, Iran. samehmortaz@yahoo.com
Medical Education
|January 18, 2013
Summary
Academic dishonesty is prevalent among medical students, with impersonation being common. Addressing these behaviors is crucial for future medical practice and patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Academic Integrity
- Medical Ethics
Background:
- Medical students' academic integrity is vital for patient safety and clinical skills.
- Cheating can negatively impact a future doctor's knowledge and practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency and attitudes towards academic dishonesty among medical students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
- To assess the prevalence of various forms of academic misconduct in medical training.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to medical students during clerkship and internship.
- The Randomized Response Technique (RRT) was employed to ensure respondent privacy and encourage truthful answers.
- 124 students participated, with data collected on different types of academic dishonesty.
Main Results:
- Impersonating an absent student was the most frequently reported academic dishonesty (93%).
- Using bribes to legitimize absences was the least frequent (5%).
- Many students did not consider certain acts like buying/selling shifts or helping others cheat as academic dishonesty.
Conclusions:
- Academic integrity is widely disregarded by medical students in various ways.
- Effective policies and interventions are necessary to curb academic misconduct in future physicians.
- The RRT proved to be an effective and user-friendly method for sensitive data collection.
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