Table 3.
Difficulty of ethical dilemmas according to the specialization status of physicians in general practice/family medicine
| Item | Score (mean ± standard deviation) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialists in family medicine (SFM) | Residents in family medicine (RFM) | Specialists + residents in family medicine (SFM+RFM) | Residents in family medicine + practitioners without specialist training (RFM+GP) | Practitioners without specialist training (GP) | |
| 1. Patients' temporary inability to work* | 3.1 ± 0.8 | 3.5 ± 0.5 | 3.2 ± 0.8 | 3.2 ± 0.8 | 2.8 ± 0.9 |
| 2. Relationship with specialized health care | 3.5 ± 0.8 | 3.7 ± 0.6 | 3.5 ± 0.8 | 2.5 ± 0.8 | 3.3 ± 0.9 |
| 3. Use of limited resources | 3.9 ± 0.9 | 3.8 ± 0.7 | 3.8 ± 0.9 | 3.6 ± 0.9 | 3.4 ± 1.1 |
| 4. Patients trying to abuse the health care services† | 3.8 ± 0.8 | 3.4 ± 0.8 | 3.7 ± 0.9 | 3.3 ± 0.9 | 3.2 ± 1.0 |
| 5. Confidentiality | 2.4 ± 0.9 | 2.5 ± 0.9 | 2.4 ± 0.9 | 2.4 ± 0.8 | 2.3 ± 0.8 |
| 6. Abandoned and unattended patients or patients with not enough means of support‡ | 4.4 ± 0.8 | 4.5 ± 0.5 | 4.4 ± 0.7 | 4.2 ± 1.0 | 3.9 ± 1.2 |
| 7. Communication of bad news to patients§ | 2.9 ± 0.9 | 3.1 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 0.9 | 2.8 ± 0.9 | 2.5 ± 0.7 |
| 8. Disputes within the clinic teamII | 3.0 ± 1.2 | 3.1 ± 0.7 | 3.0 ± 1.1 | 2.4 ± 1.0 | 1.9 ± 0.8 |
| 9. Patients requesting prescription | 2.7 ± 0.9 | 2.8 ± 1.0 | 2.7 ± 0.9 | 2.7 ± 0.9 | 2.7 ± 1.0 |
| 10. Difficulties in updating physicians’ education | 2.9 ± 1.1 | 3.4 ± 1.1 | 3.0 ± 1.1 | 3.1 ± 1.2 | 2.8 ± 1.3 |
| 11. Controversial situation regarding pharmaceutical industry¶ | 2.3 ± 1.1 | 2.5 ± 1.0 | 2.3 ± 1.0 | 2.0 ± 1.0 | 1.6 ± 0.8 |
| 12. Suspicions of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or other crime | 4.1 ± 1.0 | 4.4 ± 0.6 | 4.2 ± 1.0 | 4.2 ± 0.9 | 4.0 ± 1.0 |
| 13. Seeing adolescents** | 3.3 ± 1.0 | 2.2 ± 0.7 | 3.4 ± 1.0 | 3.4 ± 1.1 | 2.9 ± 1.2 |
| 14. Seeing immigrants†† | 3.0 ± 0.9 | 3.4 ± 0.9 | 3.1 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 1.1 | 2.4 ± 1.2 |
*Significant difference between SFM and RFM (P = 0.048), RFM and GP (P = 0.011), SFM+RFM and GP (P = 0.08). One-way ANOVA.
†Statistically significant difference between SFM and GP (P = 0.013), SFM and RFM+GP (P = 0.006), SFM+RFM and GP (P = 0.023). One-way ANOVA).
‡Significant difference from SFM and GP (P = 0.024), SFM+FRM and GP (P = 0.014). One-way ANOVA.
§Significant difference from RFM and GP (P = 0.045). One-way ANOVA.
IISignificant difference from SFM and GP (P = 0.001), RFM and GP (P < 0.001), SFM and RFM+GP (P = 0.025), SFM+RFM and GP (P < 0.001). One-way ANOVA.
¶Significant difference from SFM and GP (P = 0.022), RFM and GP (P = 0.014), SFM+RFM and GP (P = 0.015). One-way ANOVA.
**Significant difference from SFM (P = 0.037) and RFM, RFM and GP (P = 0.013). One-way ANOVA.
††Significant difference from SFM and GP (P = 0.016), RFM and GP (P = 0.014), SFM+RFM and GP (P = 0.009). One-way ANOVA.