Need For Ethics Education Research Articles

Organ Donation and Transplantation Coordinators' Experience and needs for ethics education.

Transplant coordinators face ethical conflicts in various situations, such as deciding who should receive organ donations and how to consider patient costs and such conflicts are expected to be more frequent in Korea, as organ transplant coordinators in the country perform both organ acquisition and transplantation. This study aims to develop an ethics education program to enhance organ transplant coordinators' ethical competence and address the ethical conflicts faced by them during clinical practice. A descriptive study. An online survey was conducted from March 22 to May 28, 2021. The study was conducted among 160 registered members of the Korea Organ Transplant Coordinators Association. Ultimately, 87 participants agreed to participate in the study. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board. The study revealed variations in the degree of ethical conflict based on the participants' general characteristics. Furthermore, organ transplant coordinators exhibited high levels of ethical competence and expressed a need for ethics education. The findings also indicated a positive correlation between higher ethical competence and greater demand for ethics education. Based on the findings, developing standardized ethics education programs tailored to organ transplant coordinators is recommended. These programs should focus on improving ethical decision-making skills and establishing professional ethics. The education provided should be practical, applicable in the clinical setting, and responsive to the participants' awareness and concerns regarding ethics education.

Ethical issues in dental education-A cross-sectional study with pre-clinical and clinical dental students.

Although ethics is an indispensable part of dental education, it has not yet played a relevant role in the dental curriculum in Germany. The study aimed at assessing their prior knowledge of ethical aspects, and their expectations of and wishes for ethics course of dental students, preclinical vs. clinical, at the dental school Kiel, Germany by means of a validated questionnaire. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The study population consisted of dental students, from pre-clinical (n = 105) and clinical semesters (n = 110). In January 2019, each student completed a validated questionnaire to identify semester-specific ethical teaching content. Besides descriptive analyses, Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare pre-clinical and clinical students. A total of 215 dental students, with a mean age of 25.3 (SD 4.1), participated in the study, of which 150 were female (69.8%) and 65 were male students (30.2%). The results in the areas of 'previous knowledge of ethical issues' and 'expectations and desires in terms of teaching medical ethics' showed similarities and differences between pre-clinical and clinical students. Both groups stated that they need training in ethics. Moreover, especially clinical students recognize that more ethical competence is needed if the first patient contact will start. The study indicates that there is a clear need for ethics education. Student awareness of the relevance of ethical competences and the perception of ethical problems increased progressively during the course of their studies. Overall, the study provides good support for the development of specific ethics courses.

Ways ethics education toolkit impacts moral judgment of accounting students

PurposeTo build public trust in the accounting profession, previous research studies have stressed the need for ethics education. This present research aims to investigate the effects of teaching ethics using the ethics education toolkit (EET) developed by the International Accounting Education Standards Board on accounting students’ moral judgment.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental design was used to determine the effects of teaching ethics using the EET on moral judgment. Data were obtained using the multidimensional ethics scale questionnaire and analysed with multiple linear regression. Factor analysis was performed to obtain the four moral philosophies defined in the literature.FindingsThe results confirm that use of the EET improves the moral judgment of accounting students. The influence of utilitarianism and relativism on moral judgment was reduced, while the students’ ability to recognise violating an unwritten contract as an unethical act was improved. Contrary to expectations, the influence of justice on moral judgment decreased.Practical implicationsThe study may benefit academics by showing positive outcomes of EET use. The EET is a well-developed teaching tool, also suitable for educators insufficiently qualified to develop their own ethics courses or facing time constraints.Originality/valueThe EET was developed to support implementation of ethics education in programmes for professional accountants. By investigating the applicability and effects of the tool in higher education, this study aims to develop moral judgment in accounting students before they enter the accounting profession.

Interdisciplinary Ethics Certificate Program for Graduate Medical Education Trainees.

Ethics education is an essential component of developing physician competency and professionalism. Although prior studies have shown both a wide interest and a need for ethics education during residency, structured learning opportunities are not widely available at the graduate medical education (GME) level. Through the Vanderbilt Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, we developed a 1-year certificate program offering a Distinction in Biomedical Ethics, open to all active trainees in GME programs at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This certificate program provides advanced education in biomedical ethics and can be completed without additional cost to the trainee or time away from training. This certificate program has been offered each academic year since 2017-2018. The program curriculum includes case-based seminars, a rotation on the Ethics Consultation Service, participation on the hospital ethics committee, and a capstone project. Outcomes were assessed using a post-course evaluation. During the first 4 years of the program, 65 trainees participated from 19 different specialties. Course evaluations were obtained from 58 participants (89.4% response rate) and were strongly favorable in most domains. All participants agreed that this program enhanced their knowledge of biomedical ethics and they would use something they learned in their future practice. Most participants (57 of 58, 98.3%) would recommend this course to a friend. We designed and implemented a Distinction in Biomedical Ethics program to provide advanced training in clinical Bioethics, which has been favorably received by participants.

A systematic scoping review of undergraduate medical ethics education programs from 1990 to 2020

Introduction Ensuring medical students are equipped with essential knowledge and portable skills to face complex ethical issues underlines the need for ethics education in medical school. Yet such training remains variable amidst evolving contextual, sociocultural, legal and financial considerations that inform training across different healthcare systems. This review aims to map how undergraduate medical schools teach and assess ethics. Methods Guided by the Systematic Evidence-Based Approach (SEBA), two concurrent systematic scoping reviews were carried out, one on ethics teaching and another on their assessment. Searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and ERIC between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2020. Data was independently analysed using thematic and content analysis. Results Upon scrutinising the two sets of full-text articles, we identified 141 articles on ethics teaching and 102 articles on their assessments. 83 overlapped resulting in 160 distinct articles. Similar themes and categories were identified, these include teaching modalities, curriculum content, enablers and barriers to teaching, assessment methods, and their pros and cons. Conclusion This review reveals the importance of adopting an interactive, multimodal and interdisciplinary team-teaching approach to ethics education, involving community resource partners and faculty trained in ethics, law, communication, professionalism, and other intertwining healthcare professions. Conscientious effort should also be put into vertically and horizontally integrating ethics into formal medical curricula to ensure contextualisation and application of ethics knowledge, skills and attitudes, as well as protected time and adequate resources. A stage-based multimodal assessment approach should be used to appropriately evaluate knowledge acquisition, application and reflection across various practice settings. To scaffold personalised development plans and remediation efforts, multisource evaluations may be stored in a centralised portfolio. Whilst standardisation of curricula content ensures cross-speciality ethical proficiency, deliberative curriculum inquiry performed by faculty members using a Delphi approach may help to facilitate the narrowing of relevant topics.

Demonstrating Ethical Leadership in a Virtual World: Accessibility, Community, and Identity

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ethics centers were forced to reimagine program delivery. In a tumultuous time with rampant social isolation, the need for ethics education and dialogue was also critical. The authors, members of the directorship team of the Kegley Institute of Ethics (KIE), discuss how KIE met these challenges through organizing over fifty online events during the pandemic, including webinars, pedagogy workshops, ethics bowls, intercollegiate student conversations, colloquia, film viewings, and podcasts. The article describes both the opportunities and challenges that different types of virtual events present and argues that innovation in online programming can help ethics centers show ethical leadership in their communities. As one example, we discuss how online events can both enhance and hinder accessibility for participants. We also describe how online programming presents both barriers and opportunities for community building and can prompt ethics centers to reflect on their identities and missions.

Ethics Education for Successful Infectious Disease Control of COVID-19

The infection rates of COVID-19 have been exponential in some countries despite the imposition of infectious disease control measures such as lockdowns and physical distancing, which form one of the basic principles of public health and infectious disease control. There have been significant problems with leaders and citizenry deliberately ignoring and not complying with such measures and which have directly resulted in sudden rises in infection numbers. Here, I show the nature and extent of the widespread problem and argue that the problem is in large part due to our modern society characterised by liberal individualism. I apply the philosophy proposed by philosopher Alasdair MacIntrye to show that one key underlying cause of the non-compliant behaviour of citizenry is due to modern liberal individualism that has deprived the modern nation state of the opportunities and authority for it to teach or to dictate what is the common good of the society as a whole to individuals in its community. This is the first time MacIntyre’s philosophy has been applied to public health, and this paper demonstrates the need for ethics education to counter-balance liberal individualism in order to contain and to prevent another pandemic and public health crisis in modern society.

Assessing Ethical Thinking about AI

As is evidenced by the associated AI, Ethics and Society conference, we now take as given the need for ethics education in the AI and general CS curricula. The anticipated surge in AI ethics education will force the field to reckon with delineating and then evaluating learner outcomes to determine what is working and improve what is not. We argue for a more descriptive than normative focus of this ethics education, and propose the development of assessments that can measure descriptive ethical thinking about AI. Such an assessment tool for measuring ethical reasoning capacity in CS contexts must be designed to produce reliable scores for which there is established validity evidence concerning their interpretation and use.

Ethical issues in cluster randomized trials conducted in low- and middle-income countries: an analysis of two case studies

BackgroundCluster randomized trials are common in health research in low- and middle-income countries raising issues that challenge interpretation of standard ethical guidelines. While the Ottawa Statement on the ethical design and conduct of cluster randomized trials provides guidance for researchers and research ethics committees, it does not explicitly focus on low- and middle-income settings.Main bodyIn this paper, we use the lens of the Ottawa Statement to analyze two cluster randomized trials conducted in low- and middle-income settings in order to identify gaps or ethical issues requiring further analysis and guidance. The PolyIran trial was a parallel-arm, cluster trial examining the effectiveness of a polypill for prevention of cardiovascular disease in Golestan province, Iran. The PASTAL trial was an adaptive, multistage, parallel-arm, cluster trial evaluating the effect of incentives for human immunodeficiency virus self-testing and follow-up on male partners of pregnant women in Malawi. Through an in-depth case analysis of these two studies we highlight several issues in need of further exploration. First, standards for verbal consent and waivers of consent require methods for operationalization if they are to be employed consistently. Second, the appropriate choice of a control arm remains contentious. Particularly in the case of implementation interventions, locally available care is required as the comparator to address questions of comparative effectiveness. However, locally available care might be lower than standards set out in national guidelines. Third, while the need for access to effective interventions post-trial is widely recognized, it is often not possible to guarantee this upfront. Clarity on what is required of researchers and sponsors is needed. Fourth, there is a pressing need for ethics education and capacity building regarding cluster randomized trials in these settings.ConclusionWe identify four issues in cluster randomized trials conducted in low- and middle-income countries for which further ethical analysis and guidance is required.

Ethical education as a pillar of the future role of higher education: Analysing its presence in the curricula of engineering courses

Currently, higher education has lost part of its historical role, and its mission has been substantially altered, as it has focused on providing services to the economic sector. Contemporary challenges and characteristics and the prediction of future challenges demand new roles and missions for higher education. Faced with the challenges of the present and the challenges foreseen in the future, the role of engineering and technology stands out. This study highlights the need for ethical education as a pillar of higher education in and towards the future, particularly in the field of engineering, and describes the main characteristics that this education component needs. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the characteristics of ethical education in the future and towards the future are already contemplated in the curricular units of Portuguese engineering higher education courses with an ethical component. It was possible to conclude that, although ethical education is somewhat present in engineering courses, it is only found in a few courses and still does not present the necessary characteristics of ethical education defended in this paper.

The effect of implementing nursing ethics code as a combined plan, in the School of nursing and clinical setting, Bojnurd, North Khorasan Province (2013-2015)

Background: It is very important when teaching ethics to nurse students to select an educational method and materials that are relevant to their future career as clinical nurses. The aim was to determine the effect of implementing nursing ethics codes as a combined plan in North Khorasan’s University of Medical Sciences.Methods: This research was an action research conducted in School of Nursing and Clinical setting at Bojnurd, North Khorasan Province, Iran, from September 2013 until September 2015. Data was collected through checklists and interviews with small groups and then analyzed. First, the researchers explored the difficulties in imposing nursing ethics codes. Then a combined plan was considered to solve the ethical codes’ problem. To perform this combined plan, a combination of interferences from three different levels of scope, which are students, college, and clinic, was considered. Permission from the Bojnourd’s Nursing and Midwifery College Educational Council was obtained for this study.Results: The results of this study showed that 65.5% of students had given the right answers to ethical codes. More than half of the students remarked that respecting the rights of patients and nurses was the most important code. More than half believed that there was a system to supervise the implementation of ethical codes. The results from the ethical rounds with students showed that disobedience to ethical codes occurred in the three fields which are clinical staff, educator, and student administrators. This study offered a practical model for implementing professional ethics code based on Iran’s sociocultural background. Along, this study was done to satisfy the need for ethical education and conduct according to these professional ethics code in the college and the clinical setting.Conclusion: It is recommended that a suitable evaluation system should be considered to get the feedback from the implementation of this combined plan of teaching professional ethics codes.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ЦІННОСТЕЙ У СФЕРІ ОБЛІКУ І ОПОДАТКУВАННЯ ЧЕРЕЗ ВИВЧЕННЯ ЕТИЧНИХ НОРМ

The article substantiates the need for an ethical approach to the formation of educational programs on accounting and taxation in higher educational institutions. The obtained results of a critical analysis of the literature on the selected topic indicate the relevance of the issue in Ukraine and the world, because the state of the financial and economic system of the country directly depends on the development of moral and ethical standards of professionals in the field of accounting and taxation. The results obtained contribute to the expansion of existing knowledge in the concept of professional ethics. The study shows the relevance of introducing a course on professional ethics and raising the moral awareness of students majoring in Accounting and Taxation. It provides arguments about the need to provide professional moral education in the field of accounting and taxation at the level of compulsory disciplines, without limiting them to optional choices. A separate course on professional ethics is justified because it emphasizes the relevance of ethics, and provides systemic knowledge as components of financial or management accounting, taxation, etc. Such knowledge is significant because it helps students develop the capacity to make professional ethical decisions and strengthen their preparation for fulfilling their roles in the future. This topic is important in the context of the Ukrainian economy, which is recognized as very corrupt and permeated by unethical business practices, and mastering a course of professional ethics at the university has a positive effect on the ability of accountants to think ethically, which indicates the need for compulsory education in ethics both in professional and in high school. The article identifies the most effective components of the curriculum, as well as formulates the stages of introducing professional ethics into higher education: 1) the formation of values, 2) the ability to interpret ethical norms, 3) the implementation of norms in professional activities.

Ethics consultation in paediatric and adult emergency departments: an assessment of clinical, ethical, learning and resource needs

ObjectiveWe sought to understand ethics and education needs of emergency nurses and physicians in paediatric and adult emergency departments (EDs) in order to build ethics capacity and provide a foundation...

Age discrimination in healthcare institutions perceived by seniors and students.

Old age-based discrimination is observed as the most tolerated prejudice in society and has also been witnessed in healthcare institutions. The aim of this study is to explore age-based discrimination in healthcare institutions as perceived by seniors and students of Medicine and Nursing. A multi-method study design, by involving a triangulation design. A purposeful sample of individuals aged 65+ (n = 80) and medical and nursing students (n = 100) in the eastern region of Poland. Ethical approval of the research protocol was received from the Ethics Committee at the Medical University of Lublin. 'Old age' was perceived by groups of participants based on three themes: (a) positive, (b) negative and (c) neutral connotations. The negative connotations predominated. The beginning of old age was defined by the metric of age and described by showing the complexity of the ageing process involving subjective, objective and societal aspects. Experience of age discrimination in healthcare institutions was reported by 24 (30%) seniors and witnessed by 47 (47%) students surveyed and for both groups occurred mainly at the hospital level and by physicians. Only 48 students (48%) declared a willingness to work with the older people in the future, and barriers were reported at the personal and professional levels, and also in some visions of older people. The conceptualization of old age as reported by seniors and students mainly carried negative connotations, reflecting the profoundly based stereotypes within society regarding the older people. Seniors have reported being exposed to ageism and have witnessed ageism episodes in HCIs; also, students have faced ageism episodes during their clinical education. There is a need for ethical education within medical and nursing courses to shape positive attitudes towards the older people. A positive vision of ageing should be promoted not only among young people but also among adults and older people to avoid self-stereotyping of older people and seeing old age from negative perspective.

The Students' Perspective Contribution: Rethink the Ethical Education of Engineering Students

The inclusion of ethics education in engineering courses has been recognized as fundamental. However, in Portugal this training component is present only in a small number of courses. Teachers are mainly responsible for building the curriculum, but students are the ones most affected by this absence of ethics education. In this context it is necessary and important to understand students´ perspective, because their role is vital in the curriculum construction´s success. It is in this framework that this investigation listened to engineering students' voice as a factor to consider in the rethinking of engineering course curriculum in the ethics education area. This study highlights the concept that students have of engineering action, their perspective about the possibility of their courses to include ethics training and its practical implementation. This research is part of a case study and research-action. The results indicate that students are very receptive to this training component, and they consider that it should be included as mandatory in engineering courses. The results also show that students prefer a more practical training with ‘prescription’ characteristics and that their perspective of engineering action consequences is very limited. These results reinforce the need for ethics education that promotes a wide scope critical reflection.

Assessment of perceived needs and preferences with regard to the education of residents in Medical Ethics in King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

INTRODUCTION:Medical ethics is the branch of ethics that deals with moral issues in medical practice. Many postgraduate training programs have developed educational interventions in ethics to meet accreditation standards and prepare learners for certification examinations and clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the attitude of residents in King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) toward the need for ethics education and identify the most effective methods of teaching ethical issues.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional study of residents in different specialties at KAUH was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: demographic data, assessment of the educational need for ethics education, assessment of the impact of various learning methods, and assessment of the need for ethically important practices and behavior. SPSS version 16.0 was used for data entry and analysis. Descriptive analysis included frequency distribution, percentages, mean, and standard deviation (SD); Chi-square test and t-test were employed to determine statistical significance.RESULTS:Eighty-eight of the 102 residents invited to participate in the study returned completed questionnaires, providing a response rate of 86.3%. Their ages ranged between 24 and 38 years with a mean of 27.7 (standard deviation 2.8) years. Approximately two-thirds of the residents (65.9%) agreed that medical ethics can be taught and learned while only 19.3% of them disagreed. The most effective methods of ethical education according to the residents were discussion groups of peers led by a knowledgeable clinician (78.4%), clinical rounds (72.7%), and an incorporation of ethical issues into lectures and teaching rounds (69.3%).CONCLUSION:This study documents the importance residents placed on ethics education directed at practical, real-world dilemmas and ethically important professional developmental issues.

Troubling STEM: Making a Case for an Ethics/STEM Partnership

Set against the backdrop of a STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activity in a teacher education science methods class, the author examines the need for ethics education to be partnered with STEM education. To make the case, the origin of the STEM initiative, undertaken and strongly supported by both US government and corporate sources, is briefly recounted. The STSE initiative (science, technology, society and environment) is posited as a counterpoint to STEM. Also considered are: (a) an historical perspective of science and technology as these impact difficult individual and social decision making; (b) STEM knowledge generation considered through the lens of Habermas’ threefold knowledge typology; and (c) the experiences of the teacher candidates working through the STEM activity when an ethical challenge is posed. The author demonstrates the need for a moral component for science education and makes the case for a partnership between STEM and ethics education. Further, such a partnership has been shown to increase student enjoyment and motivation for their science studies. Three possible ethical frameworks are examined for their theoretical and practical utility in a science classroom.

Paternalism, autonomy and reciprocity: ethical perspectives in encounters with patients in psychiatric in-patient care

BackgroundPsychiatric staff members have the power to decide the options that frame encounters with patients. Intentional as well as unintentional framing can have a crucial impact on patients’ opportunities to be heard and participate in the process. We identified three dominant ethical perspectives in the normative medical ethics literature concerning how doctors and other staff members should frame interactions in relation to patients; paternalism, autonomy and reciprocity. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse statements describing real work situations and ethical reflections made by staff members in relation to three central perspectives in medical ethics; paternalism, autonomy and reciprocity.MethodsAll staff members involved with patients in seven adult psychiatric and six child and adolescent psychiatric clinics were given the opportunity to freely describe ethical considerations in their work by keeping an ethical diary over the course of one week and 173 persons handed in their diaries. Qualitative theory-guided content analysis was used to provide a description of staff encounters with patients and in what way these encounters were consistent with, or contrary to, the three perspectives.ResultsThe majority of the statements could be attributed to the perspective of paternalism and several to autonomy. Only a few statements could be attributed to reciprocity, most of which concerned staff members acting contrary to the perspective. The result is presented as three perspectives containing eight values.•Paternalism; 1) promoting and restoring the health of the patient, 2) providing good care and 3) assuming responsibility.•Autonomy; 1) respecting the patient’s right to self-determination and information, 2) respecting the patient’s integrity and 3) protecting human rights.•Reciprocity; 1) involving patients in the planning and implementation of their care and 2) building trust between staff and patients.ConclusionsPaternalism clearly appeared to be the dominant perspective among the participants, but there was also awareness of patients’ right to autonomy. Despite a normative trend towards reciprocity in psychiatry throughout the Western world, identifying it proved difficult in this study. This should be borne in mind by clinics when considering the need for ethical education, training and supervision.

Development and Implementation of Science and Technology Ethics Education Program for Prospective Science Teachers

The purposes of this study were (1) to develop a science and technology (ST) ethics education program for prospective science teachers, (2) to examine the effect of the program on the perceptions of the participants, in terms of their ethics and education concerns, and (3) to evaluate the impact of the program design. The program utilized problem-based learning (PBL) which was performed as an iterative process during two cycles. A total of 23 and 29 prospective teachers in each cycle performed team activities. A PBL-based ST ethics education program for the science classroom setting was effective in enhancing participants’ perceptions of ethics and education in ST. These perceptions motivated prospective science teachers to develop and implement ST ethics education in their future classrooms. The change in the prospective teachers’ perceptions of ethical issues and the need for ethics education was greater when the topic was controversial.

Psychology of Generation Y and the Attitude Towards the Drugs Users at Workplace. The Need for Ethics Education

Generation Y enjoys a peculiar attention in the specialized literature because some of them are already at the doors of organizations to seek for work and take the first steps in their careers. Joining X Generation entails a tremendous challenge for the management of organizations through its distinctive expectations and exigencies, being different in attitude and dynamic from those belonging to its parents’ generation. However, Generation Y faces the challenge of drugs, which is also generating a huge concern for the management of organizations to address this situation.