Male doctors who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and have early academic difficulties at medical school are more likely to commit professional misconduct, a new study suggests.
The UK study looked at the medical school files of 59 doctors found guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The doctors were commonly men from lower socioeconomic groups. They also were more likely to have failed exams, repeated parts of their course and had a lower level of academic performance than their peers, and as a result graduated late.
The most common types of misconduct were substandard clinical practice and care (16%) and "dishonesty/criminality" (14%).
The study authors suggested poorly performing students needed additional support from experienced tutors.
In an accompanying editorial, NSW Medical...
This site is intended for Registered Medical Practitioners.
To make the most of Endocrinology Update, you need to be logged in.