LONDON, ON — “First–and second-year medical students have negative perceptions of low socio-economic patients on several dimensions” is the conclusion of a study prepared by a group of 300 medical students at UWO and was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

According to the report, the students recognize that physicians’ attitudes and decisions are affected by the patient’s socioeconomic status. They wanted to see if medical students are similarly affected, whether a student’s own status affects his or her view of patients from a low or high SES background.

They created videos of physician-patient interviews that used differences in speech mad clothing to convey different socio-ecomic levels. First and second year medical students were invited to see one of video and to answer a questionnaire.

The results show that difference in SES drew differing reactions. The lower class patient was considered to be less compliant in taking medications and less likely to return for follow-up visits; to have a lower level of social support, poorer overall health and a worse prognosis; mad believed to be more adversely affected in his occupational duties by illness. Second year students were less inclined to want them a patients.

Medical students who were themselves from a lower social economic status (about one-third of the group) were more favorable to having lower SES patients in their practice.