ArticlesMedical students' attitudes toward persons with disability: A comparative study☆,☆☆,★,★★
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Methods
This study used a cross-sectional survey design of the first-year medical school classes at the University of South Dakota (USD) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). Ninety first-year medical students, 46 at USD and 44 at U of S, were surveyed. All were enrolled at the schools of medicine, USD, Vermillion, SD, or U of S, Saskatoon, Sask. Surveys were distributed in both schools before class at the end of the second term. The surveys supported similar curricula at both medical schools
Reliability
The internal consistency of the items, the Cronbach α, which was used during initial creation of the ATDP, SADP, and RSI scales, was calculated (ATDP, α=.8550; SADP, α=.8190; RSI, α=.8827). The full scales were satisfactory for comparing the study groups because each had a Cronbach α greater than 0.7.
Demographic variables
Of the 90 first-year medical students, 53 were men and 37 women. The response rate from USD was 92% and from U of S, 80%. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 24.25±3.97 years. Saskatchewan
Discussion
One goal of our study was to determine whether the attitudes toward persons with disability of medical students from similar geographic areas but dissimilar health care systems (Canada, United States) differed. The 2 first-year medical student cohorts surveyed are important examples because both were enrolled in medical schools that train primary care practitioners as an explicit mission and a larger percentage of these students will become family physicians. General practitioners are thought
Conclusion
First-year medical students in 2 different rural settings held similar attitudes toward persons with disability regardless of medical school location and had less positive attitudes on different dimensions of attitudes toward disability. First-year male medical students in the rural medical schools surveyed were at greater risk of holding negative attitudes. Those with a background in disability were more comfortable with challenging rehabilitation situations. The more positive their attitudes,
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