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I poked my head behind the curtain into the cubicle to find out what the argument was about. "All right. As long as it's an order from a doctor I will comply." The old woman took her arm out from the tightly held blanket and finally let the nurse take blood. The patient probably spotted the stethoscope around my neck. It took me 10 minutes to explain to her that I was not a doctor but a medical student, and that nurses and doctors work as a team and their decisions or requests should be equally respected. This was not an uncommon occurrence in our wards.

SUMIRE SASAKI

In southern Asia, where the public is generally less keen or knowledgeable on health care than in other parts of the world, medical students are easily mistaken for qualified doctors. Mostly this is not deliberate on our part. Patients think that everyone with a stethoscope around their neck is a doctor.

The advantage of this is that medical students have the time to chat to patients and to explain their conditions in detail. Doctors, on the other hand, are too busy. In this way medical students and doctors work as a team, complementing each other's roles and learning from each other. The final outcome is that patients benefit.

But it's not uncommon to see classmates telling patients that they're doctors and asking to examine them. A strong voice; a surgical mask; and, most importantly, the stethoscope around the neck mean that patients comply immediately.

Don't you think this is wrong? Although patients in Hong Kong tend to be more introverted, shouldn't they be granted the basic right of "truthful" informed consent? Medicolegal questions can be tricky, and this irresponsible act could easily burden the already complicated platform between the health authorities and the public. Don't you think a medical student who tells patients that he is a doctor is irresponsible and deceptive?

This relates to a basic value—honesty. Doctors need to be honest, so why not the same for medical students? Honesty is part of personal integrity. Medical schools should take every opportunity to correct dishonest behaviour and guide students back onto the path of becoming a trustworthy doctor.

Every medical school and medical student bears this responsibility. Let's face it and deal with it positively: next time you see a classmate abusing a patient by claiming to be doctor, remind her or him that honesty is a basic and essential quality of every future doctor.

Competing interests: None declared.

   

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