Medical students ethical problems

Medical Students

http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/10539

A recent study has indicated that medical students are not retaining the ethical terms taught to them in ethics classes. The report, published in the journal AJOB Primary Research, involved interviews with 109 students of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

The students, all third years, were asked about the ethical terminology taught to them in first and second year. Many could remember the four basic ethical principles they were taught (beneficence, non–maleficence, respect for patient autonomy and justice), but few could remember the six sources of ethical value or categories for justifying an ethical decision (ethical principles, rights, consequences, comparable cases, professional guidelines and conscientious practice). Overall, 59.6% of the students remembered all four principles, but the highest number of sources of ethical value recalled was four of the six. Only 10% of students could name three or four of the six sources. Researchers also found that students were not likely to use the terms they had learned when asked to reflect on ethical situations they had encountered.
Many experts believe that there needs to be more ethical education at a practical clinical level if students are to retain the information. “I would really encourage [faculties] to think about how to integrate ethical education also into the clinical realm,” said Dr Lauris Kaldjian, principal author and director of bioethics and humanities at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. One question yet to be answered is whether the concepts, not just the terminology, have been lost on the students. 
This is one of the most interesting and worrying stories that I have encountered. Personally I feel that the ability to think ethically is one of the most important skills doctors can ever have. You may be the most highly skilled surgeon in the country, but if you cannot think ethically then there will be serious problems. The report clearly states that medical students are not remembering the ethical terms concerning value or categories for justifying an ethical decision. Medicine is one of the most important areas in which ethics are used, not understanding or applying the ethical terminology could result in a breach of freedom, not respecting a patients autonomy or could perhaps even lead to misconduct even if the attending physician thought they were acting in the patients best interests.
What is most worrying is the final line of the article – ‘One question yet to be answered is whether the concepts, not just the terminology, have been lost on the students’. If this is the case, then the problem worsens drastically. If the problem is simply students being lax in their attitude then these principles and values can be reinforced, however if they have forgotten or not comprehended the ethical concepts entirely, this is something to be lamented and indeed seen to be most worrying. If this is a hint of how our future generation of doctors is shaping up then I believe that it is important now more than ever to ensure that those who are trained ethically can aid in the decision making of doctors, to preserve patient autonomy and save lives.

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