Identification of professional behavior attributes for Indonesian Medical Education

Professional Behavior (PB) is an observable behavior which reflects professional values, proven by behavior, speech and appearance that can increase patients‟ confidence of their doctor. PB is a component of professionalism which receives a lot of attention by the institution of medical education in Indonesia, with special reference to its pluralism, multicultural and multiethnic diversity.

This qualitative study was conducted to identify the PB attributes adjusted for the Indonesian context. The data collection included: 1) literature study; 2) in-depth interviews and 3) Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Participants interviewed were the chairman of the Center for Pancasila Study (PSP), chairman of center for religious cross cultural studies (CRCS) , artists and Catholic, Hindu and Muslim religious leaders. Participant selection was purposeful, based on their links with the characteristic aspects of Indonesia. The FGD participants were the pertinent stakeholders and experts associated with the Medical and Health sciences education, health practitioners and physicians. Total of 26 FGD participants were grouped into 3 groups. Following analysis by the researchers, the qualitative data transcripts from FGD and interviews were randomly verified by other researchers. The qualitative data on the PB attributes from the literature and the interviews and FGDs were classified and categorized in three stages to avoid overlap, and collated to obtain the final PB attributes.