The perception of the professionalism of the doctor by the population Veracruz-boca del rio, Mexico

ABSTRACT

Introduction Medical professionalism not only encompasses the face-to-face aspect where the doctor-patient relationship is maintained in a care manner, it goes beyond the doctor's office. During the COVID19 pandemic in Mexico, many doctors were attacked indicating their lack of vocation and professionalism, even though the patient had not dealt with the doctor at any time. Objective To analyze the perception of the professionalism of doctors by the population of the Veracruz-Boca del Río Material and methods A quantitative study was carried out with a non-experimental, observational, analytical and cross-sectional research design We include men and women between the ages of 20 and 70, residents of Veracruz, Mexico. A virtual survey was carried out to identify the attitudes that patients consider to be unprofessional in doctors, however, all the attitudes evaluated were actions that the doctor performs outside of his working hours or that he registers in his personal social networks. Results 1339 subjects were included, with an average age of 33.6 (± 12.7). The use of vulgar language (30.9%), publication in social networks against feminism (36.2%) or sexual content (73.3%) is perceived as unprofessional for both sexes. Regarding female doctors, 34.5% of patients indicate as unprofessional the publication of alcohol on social networks (34.5%), being at an informal party (29.6%) or smoking tobacco (34.2%), while for a male doctor the publication in social networks of drinking alcohol (40%) or being in an informal party (36.1%) consider it unprofessional. Less than 20% of those surveyed consider their position on cannabis use, feminism or abortion, type of clothing, sedentary lifestyle, religion, age, tobacco or alcohol consumption unprofessional in their daily life. Conclusions The patient perceives the professionalism of the doctor from social networks in actions that are not directly related to how professional he can be when performing his work as a doctor. Key messages The patient perceives the professionalism of the doctor from social networks. The patient perceives the professionalism of the doctor from social networks in actions that are not directly related to how professional he can be when performing his work as a doctor.