Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2024.65.43
Exploring changes in the perception of e-professionalism among medical and dental students: a quantitative crosssectional study
Danko Relić
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Marko Marelić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2596-3359
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Joško Viskić
; University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Lovela Machala Poplašen
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Marjeta Majer
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Kristijan Sedak
; Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
Tea Vukušić Rukavina
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Aim To compare e-professionalism perceptions between
medical and dental students, focusing on their awareness
and understanding of guidelines for developing e-professionalism.
Methods A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine (UZSM) and School of Dental Medicine (UZSDM) in
2022/2023. Data were gathered through a questionnaire
designed specifically for the survey.
Results Of the 646 questionnaires collected, 626 were
analyzed, with a response rate of 33.95% for UZSM and
37.83% for UZSDM. Most respondents (71.4%) were female, with a median age of 21. Medical students significantly more frequently considered it unprofessional to
publish posts containing photos of patients/clients (96.5%
vs 75.1%), endorsements of health products without conflict-of-interest disclosures (60.6% vs 33.0%), and posts describing patient interactions without revealing identifying
information (51.7% vs 27.4%). In contrast, dental medicine
students more frequently considered it unprofessional to
publish posts with swearing or foul language (81.2% vs
67.4%), critical comments about lecturers (68.0% vs 46.9%),
and criticisms of course material or the institution (52.3%
vs 36.4%). Only 23.2% of students were aware of e-professionalism guidelines, with 37.9% of those familiar with their
content.
Conclusion While medical and dental students recognize
the importance of e-professionalism, their perceptions
have substantial differences. The need for promoting existing guidelines and integrating e-professionalism into curricula is evident. Continuous monitoring and research in this
domain are essential to ensure future health care professionals maintain high standards of online professionalism
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
331934
URI
Publication date:
22.2.2024.
Visits: 146 *