Medical students perception on ethics and communication module: What it means to be a patient

Introduction: Student insights about their importance towards the patient begin to play an important role as their clinical experiences advance. Doctors should provide health care which should be tailored for each patient, care which is given to the patient should be coordinated, family and friends on whom the patient trusts should be involved, and care should deliver physical well-being and emotional support. So, in our college, we conducted the module what it means to be a patient for our 1st-year medical undergraduate students and took their views regarding the module. Material and Methods: A study was conducted on 198 undergraduate students from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. They were told to fill the questionnaire containing six questions regarding the module after the module was over. The survey was made on Google form and the link was sent on their e-mail ids. Later the results were analyzed. Results: 77.2% of students mentioned that the module had a positive impact on them. 89.9% of students feel that empathy and compassion are required for the doctor while dealing with patients. 76.2% of students think that this module helps them to become better doctors. 76.3% of the student feel this module should be taught to students. 82.8% feel that role play is the best method to teach this module. Conclusion: From our study, it is clear the even students feel that this module is essential in their profession. So, it is vital to implement these types of modules in their regular curriculum.