Are tomorrow's doctors aware of the code of medical ethics?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the awareness of the 'ethical code of conduct for medical practitioners' among medical undergraduate students. SETTING: Tertiary care medical college and hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study covered 172 medical students in a private medical school in Pondicherry, located in southern India. They were administered a questionnaire, containing ten scenarios, which was based on the 'medical code of ethics' as set out in the chapters on 'unethical acts' and 'misconduct' of the Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002. The students were given the option of responding with a 'yes,' 'no' or 'don't know.' RESULTS: Only 128 (74.4%) of the 172 medical undergraduates enrolled in the study returned the completed questionnaire. None of them answered all the questions correctly. The overall mean score was 6.13 out of 10, with an SD of 1.36. There were no significant differences between second-, third- or final-year students. There was no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. Most of the students erred in scenarios related to decision-making and communication. CONCLUSION: There are major deficiencies in the understanding of medical ethics among medical undergraduates. Including medical ethics as a mandatory and separate subject in the first few years of under graduation can help students understand and follow ethical principles.