Table 4 Consequences of specialization in the culture of Iran

Resident-oriented education in clinical wards

“Medical sciences education under the shadow of specialization”

Consequences of specialization in the culture of Iran

Resident-oriented education and abandoning undergraduate medical education

Residents and fellows responsibility for teaching the undergraduate medical students instead of professors

Undergraduate medical students’ confusion as a result of complicated discussions in educational rounds

Unrealistic self-confidence of undergraduate medical students in terms of having specialized skills

Absence of teamwork between specialists, and thus harming the patients

“Possibility to harming patients”

Isolated subspecialties imposing a financial burden on patients

Specialization as a cause of not claiming responsibility for complicated cases

Increasing medical errors

Specialists not supporting one another if complication arises, which threatens the life of patients

Busy wards, and all patients visiting specialized centers

“Distrust of society in the services provided by the 1st and 2nd level centers”

Unfamiliarity of society with the status of specialized centers, and visiting 1st level centers without referral

Busy specialized and subspecialized clinics since patients only visit specialists

Trust in subspecialists and the internist, and general practitioner’s lack of status