The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

5028.0: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 8:30 AM

Abstract #42134

Ethics in medical and public health training

Walter K. Patrick, MD, PhD, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, 808-956-5767, walterp@hawaii.edu

Economic models and research priorities are largely driving medical and public health practice. Trends in training are likely to emphasize those issues. Safeguards of public interest and patient rights maybe compromised in the process. The purpose of the study is to examine the status of the instruction in the area of ethics and values in health professional education. The emphasis in the teaching of ethics at selected Medical and Public Health Schools was examined. Institutions were categorized as those using (a) An integrating PBL curricula (b) A predominantly Research focus and (c) A Community Practice oriented model. A general review of (1) the curricular offerings and (2) accreditation reports were made in the selected institutions. Specific comments related to the instruction on ethical issues were identified. Preliminary observations indicate that institutions with Community Practice models, having considerable student and faculty interaction in community settings, were more likely to report on developing competency on ethical aspects of care. Whether this corresponds to higher levels of competency in dealing with ethical issues is difficult to determine. Qualitative assessments of discussions with faculty in these three settings are reported. The increasing awareness in the need for more ethically related educational experiences does not seem to correlate with increased educational efforts. Insights and mechanisms to improve the gap in ethical instruction are reported.

Keywords: Teaching Ethics, Values in Medicine/Public Health

L.O. 1: To be able to identify the courses and topics in teaching ethics. L.O. 2: To understand, assess and critically evaluate mechanisms in ethical instruction.

Learning Objectives:

  • L.O. 1