MEDICAL students are being led astray by senior practitioners who pass on bad habits which can harm patient care, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Universities of Dundee and Cardiff, heard instances of trainee medics being ridiculed, dementia patients inappropriately restrained and patient confidentiality being breached.

They also heard young would-be doctors often felt unable to challenge senior professionals even when they knew practices being demonstrated were wrong.

Anonymised interviewees spoke of verbal abuse and humiliation and dubious or out-dated attitudes.

One female medical student said she had almost given up her studies after a consultant who did not know her described her as decoration, adding: "Why did you even come to med school? Do you have a brain in that pretty head? What you need to do is put down that Heat magazine, climb out of bed with your boyfriend, and do some work."

Another medical student complained of "unprofessional embarrassing behaviour when treating a dementia patient, involving physical unnecessary restraint of the patient and a member of the clinical team filming the incident on his camera phone".

Meanwhile, a pharmacy student said he had witnessed a drug user humiliated by being told to use a separate entrance to the pharmacy from other patients. "I heard someone shout across the dispensary 'addict on the floor, addict on the floor'... they were told just to go straight out of the shop and to use their separate entrance in front of the customers – a whole room full."

Students also complained of being made to do menial and unpleasant jobs by senior clinicians as punishment.

The result of an eight-year programe of research, the study warns professional lapses by a minority of senior healthcare practitioners responsible for teaching healthcare students across the NHS, are contributing to a decline in patient care and dignity.

More than 2000 anonymous stories of lapses in professionalism were collected from more than 4000 student participants across five countries – England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Australia for the study.

Research co-author and director of Medical Education Research at Cardiff University, Dr Lynn Mon-rouxe said: "Some senior healthcare practitioners across the UK fail to ensure proper patient care and dignity in the presence of students.

"During our research, common professionalism lapses reported by medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy and pharmacy students included poor hygiene practices; talking to or about patients in-appropriately; confidentiality breaches; students practising on patients without valid consent and going beyond the limits of their own competence.

"A large part of learning to become a healthcare professional occurs within the NHS as students observe their seniors – who act as powerful role models – interacting with patients."

A spokesman for Cardiff Unversity said the work should lead medical schools across the UK to change ethical guidelines around students' interactions with patients.