Korean J Med Educ.  1995 Oct;7(1):59-65.

A New Direction for Teaching Medical Ethics

• Lee ES
• Song MS
• Lim KY
• Lee HY

Abstract

Drawing on our observation that many medical professionals have considerable difficulty in using what they know about ethics, we have developed a course for teaching the fifth year medical students a systematic approach to ethical reasoning and problem-solving, rather than teaching bioethical theories or prominent current ethical issues in developed countries. This course consisted of a series of guided group discussions and debates in classroom using over 50 cases classified under seven major headings. Responses and reactions from students and participating clinicians are encouraging. Several ideas for improving medical ethics curricula are discussed, including emphases on the thorough understanding of various aspects of human relations in medical practice, enhancing the ability of articulate the students own values, provoking the student to get involved in the ethical situation when studying the cases, and the need to introduce social science concepts in analyzing the ethical issues in the health care system.

Keyword

Medical ethics; Problem-solving

MeSH Terms

Curriculum
Delivery of Health Care
Developed Countries
Ethics
Ethics, Medical*
Head
Humans
Social Sciences
Students, Medical