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Study-Unit Description
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CODE MDS2022

 
TITLE Introduction to Clinical Practice 2

 
LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

 
DESCRIPTION Part of this unit continues to introduce ethics as a follow up to the first year.
The other part introduces psychological and sociological concepts, theories and research as they apply to medicine.

Study-unit Aims

Part of the unit explores ethical issues in relation to patienthood, beginning and end of life, principles of good care and professional vulnerabilities
Part of the unit explores ways in which health and illness make sense within person's lives and how people understand their relationships with doctors and other health professionals

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- List the main professional obligations of doctors
- Explain ethical issues relating to beginning of life including human reproduction, abortion, sterilisation, screening and assisted conception
- Explain ethical issues relating to children including rights, relevance of age in relation to competence to consent or refuse treatment, proxy decision making, and reporting child abuse
- Discuss ethical issues relating to end of life including palliative care, length and quality of life, double effect, disproportionate treatment, assisted suicide, organs from cadavers and certification of death
- Define the biopsychosocial model
- List issues related to the developmental life cycle and their relationship with health and the lack of it. Areas include pregnancy and childbirth, reproduction, childhood development and health, adolescence, middle age and mid life, ageing and bereavement
- Explain the process of personality development
- Describe the process of development of emotions and sexuality
- Explain the processes of learning, perception, development of thinking and memory problems
- Describe changing patterns and measurement of Health and Illness
- Illustrate concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention
- Explain issues related to society and health including social class, groups, gender, ethnicity, housing, education, work, illness and disease, stigma and quality of life
- Identify the principles underlying the changing of beliefs and attitudes and empowering of action

2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Apply their knowledge of rights and justice in health care with regard to specific categories of patients
- Identify legal issues pertaining to treatment of patients
- Recognize anthropological issues
- Recognize ethical issues related to telling the truth and confidentiality
- Recognize ethical issues related to vulnerabilities and challenges of doctors
- Utilize the principles of giving good and bad news,
- Recognize issues related to risk taking behaviours as well as alcohol, drugs and eating

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings

- Practical Guide to Medical Ethics and Law, Second Edition, Baxter C, Brennan MG, Colicott Y, Moller M. ISBN 190462731 S
- You and Your Doctor, Mallia Pierre, Agenda 2006
- Psychology and Sociology Applied to Medicine, Third Edition, Alder B, , Abraham C, van Teijlengen E, Porter M. Churchill Livingstone, 2009. ISBN 978-0-443-06787-7.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Pre-Requisite Study-units

MDS1003

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Resit Availability Weighting
Examination (1 Hour) Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Francis Agius
Oscar Aquilina
Marija Axiak
Walter Busuttil
David Cassar (Co-ord.)
Pierre Mallia
Mario R. Sammut
Philip Sciortino
Christiane Sullivan
Roberta Zahra De Domenico

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the study-unit description above applies to the academic year 2012/3, if study-unit is available during this academic year, and may be subject to change in subsequent years.
Calendar
Notices
VIII Malta Medical School Conference 2012
[NEW] Online registration to end.
VIII Malta Medical School Conference 2012
[NEW] Full Scientific Programme now available.
Required immunisation
Required immunization for students following clinical attachments
VIII Malta Medical School Conference 2012
Registration for the conference is now open.
[UPDATED] Influenza Rules and Regulations
NEW regulations indicating the course of action which should be taken by students in the event of developing symptoms of influenza.
Learning outcomes and competency framework
For general consultation: Development of learning outcomes and competency framework for the MD degree.
 
 

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