Abstract:

Mistreatment in health professions education has been documented for over 40 years. Studies have shown that mistreatment occurs at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels across five continents. It affects mental health, education, and future patient care.

Although some voices underestimate mistreatment in training, an increasing number of studies document its prevalence, and universities and governments are increasingly concerned about addressing it. However, while the treatment we don't want is clear, little progress has been made in discussing the treatment we need for education.

Therefore, in Chile, 15 universities collaborated on an action-research study to address this issue.

A mixed-methods study was conducted for this purpose. In the first diagnostic stage, using a quantitative survey design, 1,215 students and 438 teachers selected via quota sampling completed the Academic Mistreatment Scale and the Academic Good Treatment Scale. Subsequently, in a second stage, teachers and students were convened separately to participate in co-creation groups that generated solutions to promote respectful treatment in their communities. The first phase was analyzed using descriptive and bivariate statistics. The second was analyzed using thematic content analysis.

98% of students reported experiencing mistreatment, and 70% of teachers reported witnessing mistreatment of students. However, almost 100% had also experienced good treatment. Mistreatment was more frequent among students in advanced years, in more practical subjects, and in smaller groups. Differences were observed among universities in both the treatment and mistreatment of students.

In a second stage, participants co-created short-, medium-, and long-term solutions focused on teaching competency training, developing clear guidelines to promote good treatment, and strengthening community life.

It is proposed that this methodology be extended throughout Latin America.

Keywords:

Mistreatment, Education, Health sciences education, Coexistence.