KNOWLEDGE OF BEDSIDE ETHICS AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN A PUBLIC SECTOR UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background: Medical ethics have always been considered as fundamentally important and bedside ethics are challenging to teach due to lack of formal teaching sessions. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, attitude and misconceptions among medical students about bedside ethics in hospital and its implementation in their routine practice. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in medical students from 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th year from public sector medical colleges from June to August 2020. Results:  Out of 400 Medical students, 90% had knowledge about bedside ethics and 64% knew the principle of bedside ethics. Sixty-four of medical students believed that they lived in an environment that was inappropriate for an ethical evaluation of the doctor-patient relation. Three-hundred-forty-one (84%) opted to recognize the patient and address them in a sophisticated reserved manner when approaching the patient at bedside. Two-hundred eleven (52%) preferred to inform bad news to patients in front of their attendants. Two-hundred ninety-eight (73%) of medical students believed that ethics were required for moral values. Three-hundred-five (75%) selected the option to tell the patients honestly when they make a mistake while treatment. Moreover, 259 (64%) of students preferred to ask patients to expose the target body part but 131 (32%) of students preferred to do it by themselves. Conclusion: Majority of the undergraduate medical students had knowledge about bedside ethics and its principle. Inculcation of ethics as a subject into the curriculum of MBBS students is suggested.

Pak J Physiol 2021;17(4):59–62