Published in Medical Education

Keywords: Eponyms, Medical Education, Terminology.

Eponym is a terminology created from a person’s name for naming syndromes, signs or diseases. Several authors argue against the use of eponyms, yet some support their use. Our objective is to evaluate the opinion of medical students about the use of eponyms in medical practice. A qualitative research was done with students from 3rd to 5th year of a southeastern Brazilian medical school, through the application of a questionnaire, interview recording, and transcript of the answers. The qualitative analysis was done using the evocations of the subjects under study. The majority of the students was against the use of these nomenclatures, both in medical practice and in basic training. The students argued the difficulty for memorizing the names and obstacles in communication when using the eponyms. However, they also remember that the use of eponyms is frequently a tribute to the first physicians in history and its use is already common in the academic and professional environments. A major debate among medical educational institutions and students should be considered for probable adjustments of the difficulties that students have faced in their undergraduate period concerning the use of eponyms.