Moral competence and medical education in contemporary times: a Brazilian study

Abstract

To evaluate the moral competence of medical students, this article compares different moments of medical training, identifying sociodemographic and academic aspects related to this competence, then discussing the evaluation tool. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional and observational study, with application of the extended version of Lind’s Moral Competence Test and a socio-demographic and academic questionnaire. Low mean scores were identified in the periods evaluated—the first period’s mean was higher than the others—and behavior that deviates from the “physician’s dilemma” in relation to the others, regardless of the period. Low moral competency scores were detected in all periods evaluated, with decline or stagnation over the course and “segmentation phenomenon” of the test. No relevant correlation of sociodemographic and academic variables was identified. Finally, this study found scores for the initial periods lower than those described in the literature, suggesting a generational trend.