Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
European Association for the Centres of Medical Ethics, Milan, İtalya, 15 - 17 Eylül 2022, cilt.6, sa.2, ss.48
Ethics Rounds, a multidisciplinary, dialogical experience to integrate ethical reasoning into clinical clerkship
Authors:Prof. Yesim Isil Ulman, PhD, Prof. Pinar Topsever MD, PhD, Gokberk Zeybel, Mustafa Ege Seker; Acibadem University School of Medicine
Overall process of medical education is regarded as a form of moral training of future doctors who will provide healthcare, prioritize the patient’s
welfare, remedy the sick responsibly, compassionately and virtuously. In
fact, learning environment of medical education has both positive and
negative influences on student’s acquisition of ethics-related knowledge,
skills and attitudes. However, innovative educational practices have demonstrated that ethics can be better and more efficiently taught by practice
in order to develop skills in detecting the presence of ethical dilemmas,
resolving problems, conducting ethical reasoning, understanding of the
concepts of ethics to achieve transformative learning, eventually.
This paper aims the retrospective analysis of the ethics rounds practice
during the clerkship training in terms of knowledge and skills of ethical values and decision-making all through nine years at the School of
Medicine. The ethics rounds are educational intervention to incorporate
medical ethics training as a part of students’ professional development
within the context of clinical training. They are organized within the internal medicine clinical clerkship which takes place four times within the
academic year, rotating groups of students in an interdisciplinary manner
with clinicians from various branches. The clinicians are asked to choose
a case representing an ethical dilemma from their daily clinical practice.
They are provided with a guide to prepare this case for discussion during
the session. The format of this guide includes a short case description,
formulation of the problem and identification of the related ethical values
and/or principles.
The students describe session as beneficial, remindful, stimulating; propose repeating these exercises in each clinical year; like to work on cases
from the real daily clinical practice; enjoy to express their views openly
with peers , clinicians and instructors.
In conclusion, Ethics Rounds are sustainable and compatible with the
vertical integration in medical education to enhance ethics-related skills
and professionalism. It not only helps moral development of medical
students and involve them in clinical, ethical decision-making, but also
equips them with the ability to understand complex situations and resolve
them in a self-critical, dialogical, peer-learning style as well as allowing
young residents to consolidate ethical reasoning skills.