Medical Students' Development of Ethical Judgment - Exploring the Learners' Perspectives using a mixed methods...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Bioethics
• Professional Development

Background:

• Ethical judgment is crucial for physicians, yet consensus on teaching methods is lacking.
• Student perspectives on ethical judgment development are under-researched.
• Improving medical ethics education requires understanding learner experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how medical students' ethical judgment evolves during training.
• To explore the reasoning and resources students utilize in ethical decision-making.
• To identify effective strategies for medical ethics education.

Main Methods:

• A vignette-based questionnaire was administered to medical students at three training stages (Years 1, 2, and 5).
• Qualitative content analysis and quantitative descriptive statistics were employed.
• Participants' hypothetical actions, reasoning, and information sources were assessed.

Main Results:

• Student perspectives shifted from prioritizing parental autonomy to emphasizing medical reasons over time.
• Ethical judgments were influenced more by clinical and personal experiences than formal ethics training.
• Students consistently reported feeling unprepared to make ethical judgments.

Conclusions:

• Medical students increasingly frame ethical dilemmas as medical problems during training.
• Integrating ethics more closely with clinical teaching is recommended.
• Ethics education should include common challenges faced by students and junior doctors to build confidence and sensitivity.