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Ethics education in a problem-based medical curriculum

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The complex ethical dilemmas created by advanced technological medicine and
problematic doctor-patient relationships have lead to an increasing interest in medical
ethics education since the 1980's. The Medical School of the University of Pretoria has
embarked on a new undergraduate medical curriculum in 1997. Ethics is educated in a
longitudinal fashion over the six years of the medical curriculum and has focussed largely
on the principal-based approach as described by Beauchamp and Childress. The research
participants were the first final year class of this new curriculum, while the facilitators were
medical educators or philosophers. The major finding was that the students were not yet
able to identify ethical dilemmas with ease, although they were successful in the application
of the principal-based approach to the vignettes of the study. The students did not cope
well with the uncertainty created by ethical dilemmas and sought to solve the situation by
creating boundaries provided by medical law. Therecommendations of the study are that
the theoretical component of the ethics curriculum should: 1) include more approaches to
ethics, than only the principal-based approach; 2) address daily experienced ethical
dilemmas during the study years in small group discussions; 3) and implement a portfolio
assessment which can serve as a tool for students to track their own development in
reflection on ethical dilemmas. In conclusion, the question remains whether we are
currently ready to come ""face to face" with the "other" as Levinas argues or are we still
divided into "only two classes of mankind in the world - doctors and patients" as remarked
by Kipling in the 19th century. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die komplekse etiese dilemmas, veroorsaak deur hoogs gespesialiseerde tegnologiese
medisyne en die problematiese dokter-pasiënt verhouding, het gelei tot 'n verhoogde
belangstelling in mediese etiekonderrig sedert die 1980's. Die Mediese Skool van die
Universiteit van Pretoria het in 1997 'n nuwe voorgraadse mediese kurrikulum
geïmplimenteer. Etiek is op 'n longitudinale manier onderrig oor ses jaar in die mediese
kurrikulum en het gefokus op die beginsel-benadering soos beskryf deur Beauchamp en
Childress. Die navorsingsdeelnemers was die eerste finale-jaar klas van die nuwe
kurrikulum, terwyl die fasiliteerders mediese dosente of filosowe was. Die hoofbevinding
van die kurrikulum was dat die studente nie die etiese dilemmas met gemak kon identifiseer
nie, alhowel hulle suksesvol die beginsel-benadering kon toepas op die gevallestudies. Die
studente hanteer nie onsekerheid, veroorsaak deur die etiese dilemmas, met gemak nie en
probeer om die saak op te los deur die skep van grense verskaf deur mediese reg. Die
aanbevelings van die studie is dat die teoretiese komponent van die etiekkurrikulum die
volgende moet bevat: 1) bekendstelling aan meerdere benaderings tot die etiek, bo en
behalwe die beginsel-gebaseerde benadering; 2) aanspreek van die daaglikse etiese dilemmas
gedurende die studiejare in kleingroepbesprekings; 3) en die implementering van 'n
portfolio-evaluasie, wat kan dien as 'n instrument vir die studente om hul eie ontwikkeling
aangaande nadenke oor etiese dilemmas na te gaan. Opsommend, die vraag is steeds of ons
tans gereed is om "aangesig-tot-aangesig" te verkeer met die "ander" soos Levinas redeneer
of is ons steeds verdeel in "slegs twee klasse van menswees in die wêreld - dokters en
pasiënte" soos opgemerk deur Kipling in die 19deeeu.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/50339
Date04 1900
CreatorsKruger, Mariana
ContributorsVan Niekerk, A. A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format52 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

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