"It's always continuing": first-year medical students' perspectives on chronic illness and the care of chronically ill patients

Abstract

Purpose: Caring for patients with chronic health conditions is an important component of health care in the 21st century. This study uses qualitative research methods to take an in-depth look at the attitudes of first-year medical students toward chronic illness and the care of chronically ill patients.

Method: In Spring 2000, 26 first-year medical students at the College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, were invited to participate in interviews focused on their attitudes toward caring for patients with chronic illness. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed to identify iterative themes. Concurrently, all 105 first-year students were given a questionnaire that asked about their attitudes toward various aspects of patient care.

Results: Nineteen students participated in the interviews. Students viewed chronic illness as incurable, long running, life altering, and often terminal. Most students had firsthand experience with chronic illness in family members; many had premedical work experience with chronically ill patients. Most students described themselves as comfortable with a partnership relationship with patients. Students acknowledged responsibility for caring for those with chronic illness but anticipated sadness and frustration in this work. One hundred and four students completed the questionnaire. Respondents' attitudes were consistent with those expressed in the interviews, suggesting that the interview findings represent the class as a whole.

Conclusion: Students enter medical school with complex attitudes toward chronic illness, many of which are more negative than previously reported. Qualitative instruments constitute important methods for studying the intricacies of students' attitudes and outlooks.