Incorporating an Analytical Approach to Ethical Reasoning into an Ethics Case Conference for Residents.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Bioethics
• Internal Medicine Residency

Background:

• Professionalism in clinical practice requires robust resident education in ethical principles.
• Current medical ethics education methods may need enhancement for resident engagement and application.
• Standardizing ethical training is crucial for consistent professionalism standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of biweekly ethics morning report case conferences using the Four-Box Method for internal medicine residents.
• To assess resident-reported achievement of learning objectives in medical ethics.
• To determine the feasibility of integrating this educational intervention into existing residency programs.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of biweekly ethics morning report case conferences from July 2022 to June 2023.
• Utilized the Four-Box Method, a validated analytical tool in medical ethics, during case discussions.
• Conducted surveys to assess participant-reported achievement of learning objectives.

Main Results:

• Over 73% of participants reported the intervention aided in achieving key ethics learning objectives.
• Ninety-two percent of discussed cases involved more than one ethical issue.
• The intervention was perceived as easily integrable into standard morning report structures.

Conclusions:

• Biweekly ethics morning reports incorporating the Four-Box Method are an effective educational tool for internal medicine residents.
• This approach successfully enhances resident understanding and application of ethical principles.
• The intervention offers a practical model for improving medical ethics education across residency programs.