LAUSR

Introduction South Africa urgently needs more doctors. We examined perceptions of patients and students to provide evidence for optimum student-patient ratios and substantiate solutions for this dilemma. Methods We interviewed 118 patients and invited 120 students to complete a self-administered questionnaire from four specialities in an academic hospital in Johannesburg. Results The total sample size was 238 participants. A total of 91/118 (77%) patients and 78/120 (65%) students were female. Almost all the patients had some level of education, with most patients having received at least a secondary education (71/120). More than half of the students (69/120) were final year students. A third (41/118) of the patients were unaware they were admitted to a teaching hospital. Half of the patients (60/118) thought they had the right to refuse interaction with students. Patients and students preferred smaller groups of between 1–3 and 4–8 students at a bedside tutorial ( p  < 0.001), although patients preferred smaller groups (1–3) compared with the students (4–8). Majority of patients said they never refused consent to students, while a third of students reported at least up to three patients refusing consent to be examined. The most frequent reason cited by students for refusal of consent by patients was the exposure to excessive numbers of students and healthcare professionals. Conclusion Medical schools should consider patient safeguards while responding to the country’s need for more doctors. The Medical Council and medical schools need to draw up professional guidelines on patient–student interactions, including the role of patients in this setting.