A Thematic Assessment of Medical Students’ Approaches to the Phenomenon of Euthanasia

Abstract

Objective: Film screenings are important tools of education in preparing students for their career and they found a place in the curriculum of the discipline of medical ethics, which deals mainly with the value-related problems that arise during medical practice. This study presents the viewpoints of the students of Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine on one of the most controversial issues in the field of medical ethics, euthanasia, by examining their ideas on the movie titled “You Don’t Know Jack”. The purpose of this research was to review the elective course “Representations of Physicians in Cinema” in terms of the competency areas proposed in the National Undergraduate Medical Core Curriculum in Turkey.Method: A total of 145 papers prepared by the students in the movie “You Don’t Know Jack” was analyzed by using the thematic analysis method. An approval from the Hacettepe University Ethics Commission was obtained prior to the commencement of analysis (No, 3861; Date: 26.05.2017).Findings: Themes and sub-themes were elicited from the student papers. The themes found regarding the approaches of the students to the phenomenon of euthanasia were labeled as “professional responsibility”, “ethical dilemma” and, “the discipline of medicine”.Results and Recommendations: Data obtained from the student papers was found to be mostly corresponding to the competency areas specified in the National Undergraduate Medical Core Curriculum. We hold that the data acquired from this study can be considered as a guideline in developing the curriculum of medical ethics education. We also believe it is of paramount importance that developing critical thinking skills and conducting case discussions focusing on resolving value conflicts are given wider space in medical ethics education.