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Original Article | Physiology | Volume 15 Issue 3, March 2026 | Pages: 635 - 640 | India
AETCOM an Integral Part of Medical Education Helps in Improving Patient-Doctor Relationship: Attitude, Perception and Apprehension of Medical Undergraduate Students
Abstract: Introduction: Violence against healthcare professionals has become an increasing concern worldwide. Poor communication being a major factor in patient-doctor mistrust as identified in several studies. To overcome this challenge, The National Medical commission (Previously MCI) has incorporated the AETCOM (Attitude, Ethics and Communication) module into the Competency Based Medical Education curriculum, as a mandatory component. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitude, perceptions and apprehensions of first year MBBS students regarding the impact on patient-doctor relationship following their month-long exposure to real patient encounters. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 undergraduate students posted to different clinical departments at GS Medical college and Hospital. A semi-structured questionnaire validated to include five sections: demographics, attitude, perceptions, apprehensions and suggestions was administered to the students a month after their clinical postings. The attitude, perception and apprehension sections were measured using a five-point Likert scale. The qualitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha for reliability and Pearson's correlation. The thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative suggestions. Result: A total of 240 students reported (58.3% male; 70.8% aged 17-20 years). Students showed a positive attitude towards AETCOM, with all attitude items having mean score above 3.8 and excellent internal consistency with ? = 0.84. Perception scores were also strongly positive with overall mean (3.82±0.39; ? = 0.84). Apprehension scores were moderate mean (3.03±0.48; α = 0.78) with highest concerns related to patient interaction difficulty and limited assessments. Significant positive correlation was observed between attitude and perception (r = 0.62. p<0.001) while apprehension showed significant negative correlation with both attitude and perception. Qualitative analysis revealed four major themes; the need for interactive sessions, clinically integrated sessions, formative assessment with continuous feedback and structural teaching improvements. Conclusion: Students exhibited favourable attitudes and perceptions towards AETCOM, with only mild apprehensions. Strengthening experiential learning and continuous assessment may further enhance AETCOMs impact on patient-doctor relationships. Further longitudinal studies will be more informative.
Keywords: Ethics and empathy, communication skills, Active learning, Clinical exposure, Experiential learning, Feedback, reflections
How to Cite?: Dr. Kumari Nitu Roy, "AETCOM an Integral Part of Medical Education Helps in Improving Patient-Doctor Relationship: Attitude, Perception and Apprehension of Medical Undergraduate Students", Volume 15 Issue 3, March 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 635-640, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26308130824, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26308130824