Cheating by medical students on examinations

It has been shown that most students who cheat on examinations also tend to be more likely to engage in other unethical practices, and it may have an adverse impact on patient care as well as biomedical research.

Abstract

R ecently there has been considerable public concern over unethical behavior on the part of physicians engaged in scientific research. The concerns that initially appeared in the press have prompted the convening of a congressional committee to review the question of fraud in biomedical research [ 11. Witnesses who testified before these hearings consistently emphasized the responsibility of scientific communities to ensure the integrity within academic institutions through the establishment of adequate controls and safeguards designed to minimize fraud. Concern by the scientific community, however, cannot begin at the level of the established investigator. It is unfortunate, yet true, that academic dishonesty has its roots far earlier than the time when one actually starts to practice a profession: it can usually be identified at the secondary school level. It may be argued that cheating on examinations represents an isolated phenomenon of relatively minor importance. Nonetheless, it has been shown that most students who cheat on examinations also tend to be more likely to engage in other unethical practices [7]. There is no reason to expect that this behavior will cease when a student enters a medical center,and it may have an adverse impact on patient care as well as biomedical research.