Knowledge and Attitudes of Saudi Medical Students Toward Forensic Medicine as a Subspecialty: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The field of forensic medicine, also known as medical jurisprudence, plays a vital role in civil and criminal legal proceedings by applying medical principles to establish facts. Despite its critical importance, there is a significant shortage of experts in this subspecialty. Understanding the factors influencing medical students' interest in forensic medicine is crucial.

Methods: The study was an observational cross-sectional conducted among medical students at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through online questionnaires distributed through social media applications (WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook) through Google Forms. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM Corp., Version 27.0, Armonk, NY) to obtain important insights.

Results: The majority of the medical students (65.2%) demonstrated good knowledge of forensic medicine. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority, 94.6%, agree that forensic medicine is a fundamental part of the medical field. Further, our study showed that 87% of the medical students have received formal education related to forensic medicine, though only 38% feel that the education was adequate. In comparison, nearly half (44.6%) of students felt that the education they received regarding forensic medicine was inadequate. Almost three-quarters of the medical students (70.7%) believe it would be beneficial to incorporate the forensic medicine module in their curriculum. The key motivating factors for choosing forensic medicine as a career were personal interest (39.1%) and the nature of the work (32.6%). Gender was not significantly associated with knowledge of forensic medicine (p-value<0.05).

Conclusion: Medical students strongly recognize the importance of forensic medicine and support its inclusion in the curriculum. However, many feel underprepared for medico-legal responsibilities, indicating a gap in current education. Personal interest and the nature of the work are key motivators, with lectures playing a crucial role in career decisions. The study found no significant gender differences in knowledge or attitudes toward forensic medicine. It recommends that medical schools incorporate a comprehensive forensic medicine module to address these educational gaps.