Using Ethical Dilemma Case Studies to Develop Pharmacy Students' Moral Reasoning

Abstract

Moral reasoning has been shown to be of consequence to professional behaviors such as the clinical performance of health pro- fessionals. Thus, it is important that schools and colleges of pharmacy graduate students who are high in moral reasoning. The major objective of this study was to assess the impact of ethical dilemma case discus- sion on the moral reasoning of second-year pharmacy students taking a required communications course at a large northeastern university. Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT) was used as a surrogate measure of a stu- dent's moral reasoning. Fifty-nine students were administered the DIT at the beginning of the semester in which they took a required commu- nications course and again at the end of the semester. A paired T-test revealed that students scored significantly higher on the posttest than on the pretest. However, the second-year students scored significantly lower than first-year pharmacy students at a large southeastern univer- sity. The study concludes that moral reasoning skills are both teachable and measurable, and that ethical dilemma case discussions may en- hance moral development. Additional studies are needed to increase the generalizability of these findings. (Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworthpressinc.com)