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Introduction: Student absenteeism refers to class non-attendance, while voluntary absenteeism is the absence from class without a valid excuse. Both phenomena are observed in medical students worldwide, but their behavior is unknown in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Panama. The objectives of this study are to establish the prevalence of voluntary absenteeism, its related factors, and the relationship between voluntary absenteeism and the academic index.
Methods and Materials: This is a descriptive cross-sectional prevalence study conducted among medical students during the basic and preclinical cycles at the University of Panama. The population consisted of a systematic random sample in conglomerates by semester (p=757, n=255). Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson’s X².
Results: It was found that 75.98% of the students voluntarily missed class, and 59.06% were absent mostly before an exam, with an increase in this percentage as students advanced in their semesters. Sleep and study were the most frequently cited reasons for absenteeism. No association was found between absenteeism and the academic index. However, by establishing a cut-off point in the index of 2.0/3.0, it was observed that the group with the highest academic index had lower absenteeism.
Conclusion: Voluntary absenteeism in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Panama has a high prevalence, which increases as students progress through their semesters. Study and sleep were the most common reasons. Students with higher academic indices had lower absenteeism when a 2.0/3.0 cut-off point was applied.
