Background: Previous studies of medical students' patient-centred attitudes show a decline across undergraduate education and overall higher scores for female students.
Aim: To assess undergraduate students' patient-centred attitudes at various stages of education and to explore possible associations between attitudes and age, gender and work experience in health care.
Methods: In autumn 2005, medical students in Gothenburg (n = 797) were asked to answer Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a validated instrument exploring attitudes towards the doctor-patient relationship. Data including gender, age, current term and students' work experience in health care were collected.
Results: Of 797 students 600 (75%) answered the questionnaire. No decrease of students' PPOS score across the curriculum was observed. PPOS scores from female students were higher compared to males (p < 0.0001) and female scores were significantly higher in the later terms compared with earlier (p = 0.0011). Female students had more experience from working in health care (p = 0.0023). Extended work experience was associated with higher PPOS only among females (p = 0.0031).
Conclusion: No decline of students' patient-centred attitudes may indicate an ongoing shift. Gender differences in patient-centred attitudes were reproduced. Work experience in health care presents a new gender difference. These gender differences should be considered when training patient-centred attitudes and skills.