Medical ethics (ME) and bioethics education are integrated in many medical schools, as a discipline, which aims to help future doctors to recognize ethical issues in healthcare and develop ethical decision-making skills. The main purpose of this paper was to explore students' attitude towards medical ethics and bioethics, as a course of their education curriculum in the Medical University of Sofia in Bulgaria. The goal was to find out students expectations for the contribution of the acquired knowledge to reflect upon the ethical dimensions and human rights considerations of medicine, healthcare and science after the end of their ME course. A paper questionnaire was distributed to medical students with a letter indicating the purpose of the study. All the students were anonymous and voluntarily participated in the survey. Completed questionnaires were received from 344 medical students. According to the results, the majority (94%) of the participants are familiar with the principles of medical ethics and bioethics and supports (86%) the necessity of studying Medical ethics. Most of the students (87%) think that medical ethics education will help them in their future work and believe (86%) that this course will improve their professionalism, while their opinion (70%) is that medical ethics will lead to effectively co-working with other medical professionals.
INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, in different ways, ethical dilemmas arise in medicine and life sciences. It is critical for medical professionals to respond with confidence when ethical challenges are addressed in their clinical practice. Medical ethics and bioethics education is recognized as an essential course of the medical curriculum. The course aims to provide students with knowledge and competencies on dealing with moral problems. OBJECTIVES: In this article, we aim to explore students’ views about the importance and role of medical ethics education for their future practice. Their suggestions on specific medical ethics and bioethics topics were also considered, as well as previous knowledge on ethics before they enrolled in university. METHODS: A paper questionnaire was developed and distributed among first-year foreign medical students from the Faculty of Medicine in the Medical University-Sofia in Bulgaria. All students participated in the study anonymously and voluntarily. The study was conducted during January and February 2020. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 366 medical students. Data collected demonstrates that only 19% of the students were taught ethics before enrolling in university and covered topics on philosophy and ethics, civil and human rights. The majority (92%) of the responders believe that the study of medical ethics and bioethics helps medical professionals to improve their skills in identifying ethical problems in their everyday practice. Interesting were the suggestions for topics in medical ethics and bioethics that needed further study during lectures and seminars and included principles of medical ethics and bioethics, ethical behavior in medicine and health care, ethical dimensions of new technologies in health care, ethical dimensions of clinical decisions and patients’ quality of life, ethics and health management. CONCLUSIONS: Medical ethics education is significant for future physicians, helping them to improve their skills in identifying ethical issues, and base their decisions on fundamental ethical principals in their everyday practice. Attention should be given to topics related to principles of medical ethics, models of patient-physician relationships, new technologies in health care, ethics and health policy.
Background The current COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge for the health sector all over the world. According to WHO, stigma related to COVID-19 can lead to underreporting, increased exposure and low adherence to standard safety precautions thus complicating adequate responses to the pandemic. The purpose of our research was to analyze students' perceptions on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on relevant ethical issues. Herein, we present results related to student's perceptions on stigmatization. Methods A web-based questionnaire was distributed among 715 students; medical students from Medical University -Sofia, Bulgaria and midwifery students from the University of Western Macedonia, Greece. It included 21 questions on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge on the transmission, symptoms and treatment of COVID-19. The study was conducted between April and July 2020. All the students participated anonymously and voluntarily. Results Data collected show that the main reasons for stigma experience are the presence of cough or flu-like symptoms (67.4%) and travel from high-risk regions (72.6%). These perceptions were significantly higher among medical students (72.5% and 75.7%) compared to other specialties - midwives (59.1%, 67.6%). Asian origin, health professionals as first respondents and release from quarantine were also considered as significant stigma-related factors in about one-third of all participants, respectively. Conclusions Identification of the main public perceptions that may lead to stigmatization and discrimination of patients and vulnerable groups is important in a focused approach to counter its impact on societies. Providing up-to-date education to medical professionals, mitigating the spread of misinformation by real-time monitoring of digital resources, improving public literacy on COVID-19 and establishing a community-level dialogue through digital and social media platforms may raise awareness to reduce stigma. Key messages Long-term Public health strategies are required to combat misconceptions that perpetuate stigma, in order to achieve better outcomes and improved treatment, and protect mental health. As the global COVID-19 health emergency transforms into an unprecedented social crisis, special attention is necessary among vulnerable people to ensure social integrity.
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