Patients' attitudes toward medical student participation in a dermatology clinic

To study the attitudes of patients toward medical student participation in a dermatology clinic, we surveyed 208 volunteer adult outpatients at a university setting. Almost all patients (98.5%) had no preference regarding medical student participation in their care or prefer medical student participation in their care. The majority of patients (84.5%) felt comfortable disclosing personal information to the medical student. Most patients (94.2%) enjoyed the interaction with the medical student, 22% of patients wanted time alone with the physician, and 91.8% of patients agreed that the students understood their health care needs. The majority of patients in this study enjoyed their interactions with the students and felt comfortable disclosing information. Some patients want to spend time alone with the physician. Permission for medical student participation should be requested.