MEDICAL STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE ON ABSENTEEISM AND ITS REMEDIES

Abstract

Objective: To identify reasons for absenteeism of medical students in lectures and ward rotations during the clinical years and to find out various remedies as suggested by the students.

Study Design: Mixed method study.

Place and Duration of Study: Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Medical College Lahore, from Jan 2014 to Dec 2016.

Material and Methods: It was a single center sequential mixed method study conducted from 2014 to 2016. The first phase was a survey using a questionnaire to find out reasons for absenteeism. Analysis of responses helped in the identification of grey areas which were clarified and recommendations were sought to improve attendance through focused group discussion (FGD). The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, and content analysis technique was combined with thematic analysis for qualitative data analysis.

Results: The questionnaire was distributed to 300 students. The response rate was 77%. The reasons for not attending lectures, morning and evening wards were significantly associated with year of study of students (p-value 0.019, 0.022 and 0.001 respectively). The main reasons identified for not attending lectures and wards in all clinical years were inappropriate educational environment, lack of inherent interest and personal reasons

Conclusions: The study indicated that absenteeism among medical students was mainly due to in-effective teaching, ill-defined curriculum, non-conducive learning environment, and inflexible time tables hampering quality learning. Suggested rectification measures included learner-centered teaching approaches and reverent environment to motivate future doctors for meaningful learning.