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Abstract
Aim: This study looks at changes in the knowledge of and attitudes towards substance misuse in medical students in two UK medical schools between years 1 and 4 of undergraduate training.
Method: The instrument used comprised 20 questions regarding knowledge, attitudes to training, clinical practice, and stigma. Questionnaires were distributed to 1st and 4th year students. Data was entered onto Microsoft Excel worksheets and analysed using the Excel program.
Results: There was an overall response rate of 75%. Knowledge was poor amongst the students, with little improvement seen between 1st and 4th years. Responses to attitudes to training were encouraging from both years of students at both schools. Attitudes to clinical practice demonstrate improvement between the 1st and 4th years. Negative attitudes to substance misuse greatly diminish from the 1st year to the 4th.
Conclusions: Education and training in substance misuse are vital in the personal and professional development of medical students, who will become tomorrow's doctors. This study indicates that, while there is a degree of improvement in their knowledge about prevalence and complications related to substance misuse, there is a more clear cut change in attitudes to substance misusers and the value of treatment, as students progress through their years of training. However, an unacceptably high proportion of students still feel negatively about the patient population and about treatment prospects and prognosis.