Ethical issues encountered by medical students during their education

master's thesis

• Author: Pranav Sharma
• Mentor: Ana Borovečki (mentor)
• Committee member: Ana Borovečki (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Zlata Ožvačić Adžić (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Jadranka Mustajbegović (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2014-12-19, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Public Health and Health Care; Social Medicine

Abstract

Background: Ethical issues and concerns are becoming more and more important in
everyday practice of physicians. The aim of this paper is to explore which issues
students have encountered in different fields over the duration of their studies.
Methods: A hermeneutic method was used to analyse the essays of 19 students in
their sixth year of medical studies. The essays were analysed to look for trends and
patterns depicting various ethical themes they witnessed during their experiences.
Attention was also given to students perspectives regarding each incident
Results: Ethical issues and prevalence of these issues were revealed. Ethical
dilemmas that students were placed in, in various scenarios were also brought to light.
There was comparison mainly between the more authoritarian and paternalistic
approach shown by physicians towards patients and colleagues in certain countries.
There was good evidence provided towards hierarchal systems in the healthcare
setting, which also hi-lighted the pros and cons of hierarchy. There was a compelling
viewpoint that pointed to the changing trends in Croatia from a paternalistic approach
to a patient a one which respects patient autonomy.
Conclusion: This paper provided a useful insight into how students view
medical ethics, as a set of values and a course. The results show that many
students found that even before the study of the course medical ethics an innate
set of morals was helpful and dictated their relationships with patients.
There was also the opportunity to carefully examine students over all
appreciation for a good set of morals and ethics as well as the importance of
this example being set to them from early in their education.

• Keywords: Ethical issues; medical students; education
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:618282
• Study programme: Title: Medicine (in English language); Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: doktor/doktorica medicine (doktor/doktorica medicine)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2015-12-09 12:53:54