BACKGROUND: Previous studies of medical students' patient-centred attitudes show a decline across undergraduate education and overall higher scores for female students. AIM: To assess undergraduate students' patient-centred attitudes at various stages of education and to explore possible associations between attitudes and age, gender and work experience in health care. METHODS: In autumn 2005, medical students in Gothenburg (n = 797) were asked to answer Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a validated instrument exploring attitudes towards the doctor-patient relationship. Data including gender, age, current term and students' work experience in health care were collected. RESULTS: Of 797 students 600 (75%) answered the questionnaire. No decrease of students' PPOS score across the curriculum was observed. PPOS scores from female students were higher compared to males (p