[Considerations on education and formation in health care ethics in Belgium]

Codes of medical ethics summarize the most important duties of the medical profession; but the field of medical ethics encompasses more problems than are treated in the codes, and the management of many health care problems necessitates the collaboration of non-medical personnel. This state of affairs has led to the broader notion of health care ethics. All important problems of health care have ethical aspects, and during the last decennia progress in many branches of biology and medicine has brought with it new ethical problems. This renders teaching and education in health care ethics all the more important. The time allotted to the formal teaching of health care ethics is very limited. Therefore, whoever is responsible for teaching and education of medical students should contribute by his(her) example, his(her) advice and supervision, where appropriate, to the ethical education of the younger generation. As new problems will surely arise during the later professional life, their explanation and discussion should, more than is currently being done, be integrated in the programs of continued medical education.