Dwindling Attendance of Undergraduate Medical Students, Reasons and Possible Solutions

BACKGROUND Student attendance is an important factor in professional development and academic performance of medical students as clinical contact and teaching are necessary to develop requisite competence. Absenteeism may negatively impact the learning process of students as well as their academic achievement. We wanted to identify reasons and possible solutions for dwindling attendance of undergraduate medical students. METHODS Focus group discussion was conducted with students of final MBBS for in-depth understanding of the reasons for increased absenteeism. The information gathered was collated, and on the basis of this, questionnaire was designed. Data was collected by self-administered questionnaire. Respondents were asked to rank the factors influencing absenteeism on a 5-point Likert scale. They were also asked about suggestions for improving attendance. Data was analysed using Epi Info version 7.2.1.0. RESULTS Main themes as identified from focus group discussion (FGD) were in the form of various factors viz. personal, teaching related, college related, hostel related and curriculum related. Important personal factors influencing absenteeism were attending class for PG entrance, mass bunk etc. Most influential curriculum related factors were vast curriculum and no proper coverage of syllabus in lecture series. Suggested measures included improved teacher student relationship, interactive teaching and conducive classrooms etc. CONCLUSIONS There is a need to improvise the teachings and make the educational environment more conducive.