Exploring the effects of medical trainee naming: a randomized experiment

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Perception
• Clinical Communication

Background:

• Medical trainees utilize various titles during their education.
• Patient understanding of trainee roles and training levels is often limited.
• The impact of trainee titles on patient perception requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of different medical trainee titles on patient perceptions.
• To assess how patient education about the medical education system influences comfort levels with trainees.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 432 participants via Amazon's Mechanical Turk.
• A randomized experimental design presented participants with hypothetical clinical encounters involving trainees using different titles.
• An educational component was included to assess its impact on patient comfort.

Main Results:

• No significant association was found between trainee titles and patient perceptions of responsibility, education, or comfort.
• A substantial portion of participants (41.4%) were unaware of medical trainees' training levels.
• Educational information significantly increased patient comfort with being interviewed and examined by trainees (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Medical trainee titles do not directly influence patient perceptions.
• Educating patients about the medical education system can enhance their comfort when interacting with medical trainees.
• Improving patient understanding is key to fostering positive clinical experiences with trainees.