Perception of Medical Students on Anaesthesiology as a Specialty: A Systematic Review

Anaesthesia is integral to a wide range of clinical procedures; however, there is a global challenge in the anaesthesia workforce due to several contributing factors. This study seeks to assess the knowledge and perceptions of medical students regarding anaesthesia as a specialty. Understanding these perspectives is essential to addressing the global shortage of anaesthesia professionals. PubMed, Scopus, African Journal Online, and ProQuest were searched from the database inception to July 2024 to identify relevant studies. A total of 2,575 articles were identified. After title and abstract screening, 2,137 articles were excluded. After full-text screening, 2,098 articles were excluded. Eight articles were included in this qualitative analysis. We included primary studies published in peer-reviewed journals that reported the perception and choice of anaesthesiology as a future career by medical students in their clinical years (years five and six), with reasons, irrespective of medical institution, age, or gender, were included. In total, 2,135 students from six countries were included in the eight studies: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Austria, the United States of America, and South Africa, with Nigeria and Saudi Arabia each contributing two studies. The study designs utilised included cross-sectional surveys, descriptive cross-sectional studies, and questionnaire-based studies. The mean age of the students ranged from 23 to 28 years across the studies, with 748 male students, 530 female students, and 857 students whose gender was not specified. A significant proportion of students were aware of the role of anaesthetists; however, only 178 students expressed an interest in specialising in anaesthesia, with the most common reason being a genuine interest in the specialty. The studies reviewed identified several reasons why students did not consider anaesthesiology as a preferred speciality, including limited patient contact, which affects the doctor-patient relationship, lack of recognition or respect from peers, low income, limited availability of local job opportunities or training positions, and the presence of anaesthetic nurses. A critical factor highlighted across all studies was the length of exposure to anaesthesia during clinical rotations. Medical students recognise the importance of anaesthetists but are often deterred from pursuing the specialty due to various factors, which could be mitigated through enhanced exposure, increased visibility, financial incentives, and mentorship.