Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine

Serap Konakcı; Doğa Çiçek Suroğlu; Elif Gökçe Karaarslan; Hatice Nilsu Aydın; Sanem Polat; Selen Kaya; Bahar Eryilmaz; Nergiz Durmuş Sütpideler

doi:10.62425/jmefm.1862422

Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the attitudes of preclinical (3rd-year students) and clinical (Interns) students at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine toward basic communication elements in the physician–patient relationship and to assess the impact of clinical experience on these attitudes.

Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted during the 2024–2025 academic year and included 265 medical students. Data from 264 students who completed the questionnaire in full were included in the analysis (3rd-year students n=148; Interns n=116). Data were collected online using a 17-item attitude questionnaire developed by the researchers. Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and the internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach’s α) was .646. The data were analyzed using an independent samples t test, a chi-square test, and a two-way ANOVA. A P value <.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

Results: The mean overall attitude scores of the students did not differ significantly between the two terms (60.84±7.33 vs 62.36±7.56, P=.101). The interaction between term and sex was significant at the threshold (P=.046). While female 3rd-year students had significantly higher mean scores than male students did (62.26±6.03 vs 59.43±8.24; P=.019), this difference was not observed for interns. Item-based analysis revealed significant differences between terms, particularly regarding the items “During treatment, patients should be given as much information as they wish to know” (P=.043), “I do not give false hope when speaking with a patient with a poor prognosis” (P=.000), “I take a patient’s sexual history without judgment” (P=.000), “I show my emotions when delivering bad news to a patient” (P=.004), and “I listen to everything the patient says without interruption” (P=.007).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that communication attitudes are largely comparable between preclinical and clinical students, with no significant overall difference between terms. Although a small interaction between term and sex was observed, its practical significance appears to be limited. These results may indicate that early structured communication training is associated with the development of stable communication attitudes. However, given the cross-sectional design, further longitudinal studies are needed to better understand how communication attitudes evolve throughout medical education and clinical training.

Keywords

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Measurement and Evaluation in Education (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Serap Konakcı ^*
0000-0002-3325-6382
Türkiye

Doğa Çiçek Suroğlu
0009-0001-8550-5117
Türkiye

Elif Gökçe Karaarslan
0009-0007-2480-1768
Türkiye

Hatice Nilsu Aydın
0009-0005-5312-1134
Türkiye

Sanem Polat
0009-0009-1538-9411
Türkiye

Selen Kaya
0009-0005-0297-4030
Türkiye

Bahar Eryilmaz
0009-0009-7554-7696
Türkiye

Nergiz Durmuş Sütpideler
0000-0003-4739-9154
Türkiye

Publication Date

April 30, 2026

Submission Date

January 28, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 12, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 3 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1862422

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA57BJ82YY

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Konakcı, S., Suroğlu, D. Ç., Karaarslan, E. G., Aydın, H. N., Polat, S., Kaya, S., Eryilmaz, B., & Durmuş Sütpideler, N. (2026). Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine, 3(1), 10-17. https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1862422

AMA

1.Konakcı S, Suroğlu DÇ, Karaarslan EG, et al. Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. J Med Educ Family Med. 2026;3(1):10-17. doi:10.62425/jmefm.1862422

Chicago

Konakcı, Serap, Doğa Çiçek Suroğlu, Elif Gökçe Karaarslan, et al. 2026. “Evaluation of the Attitudes of Preclinical and Clinical Students Toward the Basic Elements of Communication in the Physician-Patient Relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine”. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine 3 (1): 10-17. https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1862422.

EndNote

Konakcı S, Suroğlu DÇ, Karaarslan EG, Aydın HN, Polat S, Kaya S, Eryilmaz B, Durmuş Sütpideler N (April 1, 2026) Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine 3 1 10–17.

IEEE

[1]S. Konakcı et al., “Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine”, J Med Educ Family Med, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 10–17, Apr. 2026, doi: 10.62425/jmefm.1862422.

ISNAD

Konakcı, Serap - Suroğlu, Doğa Çiçek - Karaarslan, Elif Gökçe - Aydın, Hatice Nilsu - Polat, Sanem - Kaya, Selen - Eryilmaz, Bahar - Durmuş Sütpideler, Nergiz. “Evaluation of the Attitudes of Preclinical and Clinical Students Toward the Basic Elements of Communication in the Physician-Patient Relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine”. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine 3/1 (April 1, 2026): 10-17. https://doi.org/10.62425/jmefm.1862422.

JAMA

1.Konakcı S, Suroğlu DÇ, Karaarslan EG, Aydın HN, Polat S, Kaya S, Eryilmaz B, Durmuş Sütpideler N. Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. J Med Educ Family Med. 2026;3:10–17.

MLA

Konakcı, Serap, et al. “Evaluation of the Attitudes of Preclinical and Clinical Students Toward the Basic Elements of Communication in the Physician-Patient Relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine”. Journal of Medical Education and Family Medicine, vol. 3, no. 1, Apr. 2026, pp. 10-17, doi:10.62425/jmefm.1862422.

Vancouver

1.Serap Konakcı, Doğa Çiçek Suroğlu, Elif Gökçe Karaarslan, Hatice Nilsu Aydın, Sanem Polat, Selen Kaya, Bahar Eryilmaz, Nergiz Durmuş Sütpideler. Evaluation of the attitudes of preclinical and clinical students toward the basic elements of communication in the physician-patient relationship at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. J Med Educ Family Med. 2026 Apr. 1;3(1):10-7. doi:10.62425/jmefm.1862422