Perceptions of Medical Students’ Unprofessional Behaviors Among Faculty Members and Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Japanese Medical School

Shun Yamashita,1,2 Maiko Sakamoto,1 Shizuka Yaita,1,2 Kaori Inoue,1 Yukari Mizoguchi,1 Yuki Hoshino,1 Manami Yamaguchi,3 Noriko Ide,4 Naoko E Katsuki,2 Masaki Tago,2 Yasushi Miyata,5 Yasutomo Oda1 1Education and Research Center for Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan; 2Department of General Medicine, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan; 3Graduate School of Medical Science, Saga University, Saga, Japan; 4Department of General Medicine, NHO Ureshino Medical Center, Saga, Japan; 5Department of Primary Care and Community Health, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Aichi, JapanCorrespondence: Shun Yamashita, Education and Research Center for Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga, 849-8501, Japan, Tel +81952343238, Fax +81952342029, Email [email protected]: Understanding the perceptions of medical students and faculty members regarding unprofessional behavior is crucial to appropriately guide medical students’ behavior. This study aimed to clarify the differences in perceptions of unprofessional behavior in clinical settings among Japanese medical students and faculty members.Methods: This single-center, cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Saga University. Participants were faculty members who participated in a faculty development program on medical students’ unprofessional behaviors in December 2024 and fourth-year medical students who attended a similar lecture in January 2025. The survey items were determined through identifying common unprofessional behaviors based on previous reports and following a discussion with faculty members responsible for pre-graduate education. Participants were divided into faculty and student groups, and differences in perceptions were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.Results: Participants comprised 40 (response rate 22%) faculty and 65 (64%) students. The faculty group showed significantly lower perceptions of being unprofessional in the following behaviors than the student group: violation of privacy or confidentiality obligations (odds ratio 0.089, 95% confidence interval 0.010– 0.766); false statements or misrepresentation (0.180, 0.034– 0.940); inappropriate use of social networking services (0.150, 0.029– 0.762); fabrication or falsification of data (0.228, 0.005– 0.941); bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment (0.047, 0.006– 0.383). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified “bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment (0.058, 0.007– 0.487)” as the only factor on which their perceptions differed significantly.Conclusion: Both faculty members and medical students perceived the unprofessional behaviors of medical students similarly, except in the cases of bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment. However, since faculty members considered five behaviors to be less unprofessional, their perceptions regarding unprofessional behaviors need to be realigned so that they can better guide medical students toward becoming better professionals in the future, thereby improving patient outcomes.Keywords: unprofessional behavior, medical students, faculty members, difference of perception