Assessment of Medico-legal Knowledge among Internees of a Medical College, Kolkata: A Cross-sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/jiafm.2024.46.1.19Keywords:
Medico-legal, Interns, Knowledge, Forensic Medicine & ToxicologyAbstract
Medical professionals around the world are encountering medico-legal issues in their daily practices. This is particularly problematic as patients or consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their rights. The term "medico-legal" refers to the intersection of two professions: medicine and law. It encompasses the legal and ethical duties of physicians as well as the medico-legal assessment of patients to ensure the smooth functioning of society. The consequences of an uninformed doctor making a mistake can be severe. Therefore, it is imperative that medical professionals have a thorough understanding of their rights and responsibilities. Addressing the issue of inadequate knowledge of legal medicine and the legal aspects of medical practice is critical and should be dealt with promptly. This present study was done to evaluate the level of knowledge regarding medico-legal issues among the internees of Calcutta National Medical College, Kolkata and to make the future medical professionals aware regarding their medico-legal responsibilities. An institution based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among internees of Calcutta National Medical College. Internees who were absent on the days of data collection, unwilling to give consent were excluded from the study. Data were collected by using a pre-designed, pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire. The study was conducted among 195 interns of Calcutta National Medical College, Kolkata. Among them 115 (59%) were male, 173 (88.7%) were below the age of 25 years, 16 (8.2%) belonged to middle to lower socio-economic class and 110 (56.4%) were residing in hostel. Only 60 (30.8%) students showed interest in doing internship in Forensic Medicine &Toxicology (FMT). About one-third of study subjects 55 (28.2%) had inadequate knowledge regarding medico-legal aspects. While assessing knowledge regarding medico-legal aspects overall mean score was 13.96 ± 2.67. The study revealed that upper socio-economic class (p=0.043), doing internship in FMT (p=0.041) were found to be statistically significant. Multi-nominal bivariate analysis showed that students who did internship in FMT department had better medico-legal knowledge than others.The objective of the current study was to assess the level of knowledge of medico-legal aspects among future medical professionals. The results indicated that completing a residency in the FMT department positively impacted their understanding of medico-legal issues. To address any knowledge gaps and increase awareness of legal aspects, it is recommended that the optional rotatory internship in FMT be made compulsory. This would ensure that all medical professionals have a comprehensive understanding of various legal aspects.
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