title: Defining professionalism in medical education: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature to identify how professionalism is defined in the medical education literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible studies included any articles published between 1999 and 2009 inclusive presenting viewpoints, opinions, or empirical research on defining medical professionalism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 195 papers on the topic of definition of professionalism in medicine. Of these, we rated 26 as high quality and included these in the narrative synthesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As yet there is no overarching conceptual context of medical professionalism that is universally agreed upon. The continually shifting nature of the organizational and social milieu in which medicine operates creates a dynamic situation where no definition has yet taken hold as definitive.
authors.affiliation: University Centre for Rural Health , Australia.
authors.forename: Hudson
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Birden
authors.forename: Nel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Usherwood
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nass
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004992:Ethics, Medical / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D024382:Professional Role