The effect of teaching medical ethics on medical students' moral reasoning

Donnie J. Self; Fredric D Wolinsky; DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr

doi:10.1097/00001888-198912000-00014

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The effect of teaching medical ethics on medical students' moral reasoning

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

The effect of teaching medical ethics on medical students' moral reasoning

Donnie J. Self, Fredric D Wolinsky and DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr

Academic medicine, Vol.64(12), pp.755-759

12/1989

DOI: 10.1097/00001888-198912000-00014

PMID: 2590358

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https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-198912000-00014View

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Abstract

A study assessed the effect of incorporating medical ethics into the medical curriculum and the relative effects of two methods of implementing that curriculum, namely, lecture and case-study discussions. Results indicate a statistically significant increase (p less than or equal to .0001) in the level of moral reasoning of students exposed to the medical ethics course, regardless of format. Moreover, the unadjusted posttest scores indicated that the case-study method was significantly (p less than or equal to .03) more effective than the lecture method in increasing students' level of moral reasoning. When adjustment were made for the pretest scores, however, this difference was not statistically significant (p less than or equal to .18). Regression analysis by linear panel techniques revealed that age, gender, undergraduate grade-point average, and scores on the Medical College Admission Test were not related to the changes in moral-reasoning scores. All of the variance that could be explained was due to the students' being in one of the two experimental groups. In comparison with the control group, the change associated with each experimental format was statistically significant (lecture, p less than or equal to .004; case study, p less than or equal to .0001). Various explanations for these findings and their implications are given.

Control Groups

Curriculum

Education, Medical

Ethics, Medical

Humans

Interdisciplinary Communication

Mental Processes

Moral Development

Morals

Students, Medical - psychology

Teaching - methods

Details

Title: Subtitle: The effect of teaching medical ethics on medical students' moral reasoning
Creators: Donnie J. Self - Texas A&M University
Fredric D Wolinsky
DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Academic medicine, Vol.64(12), pp.755-759
DOI: 10.1097/00001888-198912000-00014
PMID: 2590358
NLM abbreviation: Acad Med
ISSN: 1040-2446
eISSN: 1938-808X
Language: English
Date published: 12/1989
Academic Unit: Health Management and Policy
Record Identifier: 9984364413902771

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