Assessment of junior doctors attitude toward professionalism.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the attitudes of junior doctors toward key domains of medical professionalism in a tertiary care setting in Pakistan. Study Design: Quantitative, Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Community Medicine, Gomal Medical College, Dera Ismail Khan. Period: April to October 2025. Methods: A validated, self-administered questionnaire called the Learners Attitude of Medical Professionalism Scale (LAMPS) was used to gather data from 542 junior doctors (house officers and postgraduate trainees) using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. Five professional domains were evaluated by the instrument: duty/accountability, excellence/autonomy, honor/integrity, altruism, and respect for others. SPSS 27 trial version software was used for statistical analysis. Independent t-tests and descriptive statistics were used to assess the data. Results: The highest mean scores were observed for Duty/Accountability (3.734 ± 0.43) and Excellence/Autonomy (3.63 ± 0.51), while the lowest score was for Respect for Others (3.134 ± 0.42). Significant associations were found between gender and Duty/Accountability (p = 0.014) as well as Altruism (p = 0.014), and between marital status and Excellence/Autonomy (p = 0.015). Honor/Integrity showed moderate scores (3.19 ± 0.25) with no significant demographic associations. Conclusion: Junior doctors show strong procedural competency and knowledge-based excellence but marked deficits in the domains of integrity and respect. These findings highlight the need for integrated educational reforms and systemic changes to foster a culture of transparency and collaboration, which are essential for patient safety and a sustainable healthcare workforce.