Patient opinions about medical student involvement in obstetrics and gynaecology

Aim The aim of this study is to assess patient attitudes towards medical student involvement in their Obstetric and Gynaecologic care in an Irish health care setting. Methods This was an observational study performed at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Ireland that used self-administered surveys to assess patient level of comfort with students either observing or performing clinical skills in the inpatient and outpatient setting. These included observing or performing history taking, abdominal exam, vaginal exam, vaginal delivery, and observing caesarean section. Results A majority of the women surveyed would allow students to observe all clinical skills. Only 38 (18%) women would not allow a student to perform a vaginal exam, 53 (25%) would not allow a student to perform a vaginal delivery. Increased age appears to be a greater determinant of higher comfortability than parity. Conclusion Obstetrics-gynaecology patients in an Irish health care setting are willing to involve medical students in their care. The majority of the patients involved in this study were comfortable with student involvement, whether in an observational or hands-on capacity.