Using E-mail as an interactive teaching tool

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Bioethics

Background:

• Traditional ethics education may not adequately prepare residents for complex clinical dilemmas.
• Identifying specific knowledge and skill deficits in resident ethics training is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of email as a tool for teaching medical ethics.
• To improve the quality of ethics discussions in internal medicine residency programs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized email to present ethics case scenarios to internal medicine residents.
• Required residents to submit responses prior to a scheduled ethics conference.

Main Results:

• Email facilitated pre-conference engagement with ethical issues.
• The method allowed for the identification of resident knowledge and skill gaps in ethics.
• Discussions at the conference were more informed and targeted.

Conclusions:

• Email is a valuable tool for enhancing ethics education in medical residency.
• This approach promotes active learning and allows for tailored instruction in bioethics.