Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MDS2022

 
TITLE Introduction to Clinical Practice 2

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL Not Applicable

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

 
DESCRIPTION Part of this study-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 study-unit explores ethical issues in relation to patienthood, beginning and end of life, principles of good care and professional vulnerabilities.

Part of the study-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.

Recommended Textbook:

- Mallia P., A Handbook of Patients’s Rights, 2011, ISBN: 9789995701031.

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-unit: MDS1003

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Multiple Choice Questions Examination (1 Hour) Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Francis Agius
Marija Axiak
Joelle Azzopardi
David Cassar (Co-ord.)
Roberta Farrugia Debono
Pierre Mallia
Mario R. Sammut
Philip Sciortino
Rachel Taylor East
Raymond Zammit

 

 
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 description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit