Journal article
Effect of Clinical Clerkships on Medical Student Attitudes toward Abortion and Contraception
Madridge Journal of Women's Health and Emancipation, Vol.1(1), pp.4-6
07/11/2017
DOI: 10.18689/mjwh-1000102
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate medical students' perceptions and individual attitudes toward abortion and contraception before and after their clinical clerkships, as well as to assess overall trends in attitude change toward specific abortion and contraception topics.
Methods: As part of their required curriculum, second-year medical students at the University of Iowa complete an anonymous survey that presents eight questions involving specific contraception and abortion topics.Members of the Class of 2014 were invited to re-take this survey in their fourth year. Students were also askedspecifically if they felt that clinical clerkships had changed their perspectives on contraception and abortion in general.
Results: Of the 173 members of the Class of 2014, 124 chose to participate, for a response rate of 71.7%. Twenty-six students (21.0%) felt that clinical clerkships had changed their perspectives on abortion and thirty-five students (28.2%) felt that clinical clerkships had changed their perspectives on contraception. The percentage of students who would recommend against abortion for an ambivalent patient decreased from 63.9% to 50.8% (p=0.012). The percentage of students who would refer a patient for a surgical abortion increased from 76.0% to 85.8% (p=0.018). The percentage of students who would offer a medical abortion increased from 61.2% to 70.8% (p=0.042). Responses to the other five questions included in the survey did not differ significantly pre and post-clerkship.
Conclusions: Clinical clerkships have the ability to affect medical students' attitudes toward abortion and contraception in general, as well as toward specific abortion topics.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Effect of Clinical Clerkships on Medical Student Attitudes toward Abortion and Contraception
- Creators
- Elyse N BrockColleen K StockdaleHans R HouseAbbey J Hardy-Fairbank
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Madridge Journal of Women's Health and Emancipation, Vol.1(1), pp.4-6
- DOI
- 10.18689/mjwh-1000102
- ISSN
- 2638-1575
- eISSN
- 2638-1575
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/11/2017
- Academic Unit
- Emergency Medicine; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984297255202771
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