Do medical students and residents impact the quality of patient care? An assessment from different stakeholders in an Italian academic hospital, 2019

PLoS One. 2021 Oct 14;16(10):e0258633. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258633. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Medical students and residents play an important role in patient care and ward activities, thus they should follow hospital procedures and ensure best practices and patient safety. A survey concerning staff on training was conducted to assess the perceived quality of healthcare from healthcare workers (HCWs), residents, medical students and patients in Udine Academic Hospital, Italy. Between December, 2018 and March, 2019, a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire was administered in 21 units, covering four thematic areas: patients and medical staff satisfaction with the quality of care provided by residents and students, patient privacy, clinical risk management, patient perception of staff on training. Data analysis included descriptive analysis and ordered logistic regressions. A total of 596/1,863 questionnaires were collected from: HCWs (165/772), residents (110/355), students (121/389), and patients (200/347). Residents were rated high both by patients (median = 5, IQR = 4-5, OR 0.49, 95%CI 0.26-0.93) and HCWs (median = 4, IQR = 3-5, OR 0.14, 95%CI 0.08-0.26), with a lower score for medical students on the same topic, both by patients (median = 4, IQR = 3-5, OR 2.94, 95%CI 1.49-5.78) and HCWs (median = 3, IQR = 2-3, OR 0.41, 95%CI 0.25-0.67). Therefore, the role of staff on training in quality and safety of healthcare deserves integrated regular evaluation, since direct interaction with patients contributes to patients' perception of healthcare.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Personnel / statistics & numerical data*
  • Hospitals, University
  • Humans
  • Internship and Residency
  • Italy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Care / standards*
  • Patient Safety / statistics & numerical data*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Quality of Health Care
  • Students, Medical / statistics & numerical data*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.