Knowledge about and attitude towards science of first year medical students

Aim. To assess the knowledge about and attitude towards science of students entering medical school, and to find out whether these parameters are influenced by their high school education, sex, place of residence, and rank achieved on the admission test. Methods. A total of 193 (82%) students who enrolled at the Zagreb University School of Medicine in 2001 filled out an anonymous questionnaire at their first lecture. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data, 20 statements on science adapted to a 1-5 Likert scale, and 8 multiple-choice test questions on knowledge of scientific research. Results. The students' knowledge of scientific research was poor (out of 8 answers, 2.2+/-1.2 were correct) in spite of their positive attitude towards science (75+/-11 on a 20-100 scale). Higher ranking students at the admission test showed more positive attitude (Spearman's rho=-0.157, p=0.003). There was no interdependence between other personal data (sex, high school, and place of residence) and opinion/knowledge about science. Conclusion. In Croatia, first-year medical students are not familiar with basic facts about the scientific methods and communication in medicine, but they have positive attitude towards scientific research. The only factor associated with more positive attitude towards science is higher rank at the admission test.