Factors affecting the performance of undergraduate medical students: a perspective.
BACKGROUND
Performance of medical students in developing nations like India is perceived to have largely declined.


OBJECTIVE
We attempted to assess the reasons behind such trends.


METHODS
Students in their third year of medical study were given a predesigned, pretested structured and validated questionnaire that they filled in anonymously. The key areas assessed were concentration, interest and understanding of the subject and other perceived causes of poor performance. Tests for descriptive statistics were applied for evaluation.


CONCLUSIONS
One hundred and fifty students participated in the study. Fifty-five (36.66%) students performed poorly. Male gender, inability to clear the previous professional examination at the first attempt, difficulty in understanding medium of instruction, self-assessed depression, sleep disorders and perceived parental and peer pressure and dissatisfaction with career choice were significantly linked with poor performance (P<0.05 for each factor). Socioeconomic status and regularity in class were not linked to academic performance.
Department of Pharmacology, Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Ananya
A
Mandal
Arijit
A
Ghosh
Gairik
G
Sengupta
Tapas
T
Bera
Nina
N
Das
Subir
S
Mukherjee