| CODE | MDS1023 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Introduction to Medical Ethics and Professionalism | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Medicine and Surgery | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit covers virtue aspects of health care relationships, ethical issues in doctor-patient and inter-professional relationships; learning how to communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively, as well as an insight into thinking, learning and coping skills. In addition to lectures, students will be exposed to practical sessions. During these sessions students are stimulated to perform specified tasks. Students may also be required to participate in regular online (Moodle) case-based group discussions followed by in-depth analysis of the underlying scientific basis of common clinical conditions through facilitated Critical Thinking Sessions. These are based on carefully selected clinical ethics cases that are intended to stimulate the student to think and discuss critically the presented problems and to formulate basic scientific and clinical concepts as well as ethical, behavioural and professional principles. This encourages a biopsychosocial approach to health care. The study-unit will also include Seminars wherein clinicians together with experts in various disciplines will discuss common ethical conditions and supplement the clinical information presented in the Critical Thinking Sessions. The common features of these learning sessions is that they involve active participation, are student centered and conducive to independent learning as a prelude to continuing life-long education. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to have students: - Analyze interpersonal interactions and their effects on a clinical situation; - Practice the skills that will enable them to become effective practitioners as members of a team; - Be introduced to ethical principles as applied to clinical practice; - Be conversant in ethical issues relating to informed decision making by the patient, negligence, and the four principles of biomedical ethics. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Distinguish between the various ethical theories appropriate to health care; - Understand the principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice in health care; - Describe the condition to obtain proper informed consent and the conditions which lead to negligence; - Explain the basic principles of communication skills; - Have an introduction to Professionalism. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss the basic principles underlying ethical review of clinical situations; - Discuss basic ethical theory as part of clinical ethics; - Discuss application of informed consent, negligence and the principle of double effect; - Discuss ordinary and extraordinary treatment at end of life. Recommended Textbook: - Good Medical Practice: Professionalism, ethics and Law. Breen, Cordner, Thompson, Pluckhahn, Cambridge University Press. - Mallia, P., BIOETHICS AND CLINICAL ETHICS. FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE, KITE publishers, 2022. - Medical Law and Ethics (Lectures Notes series), Howard, P., Bogle, J. Blackwell Publishing. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Margaret Lloyd and Robert Bor, Communication Skills for Medicine, 3rd Edition Churchill Livingstone, ISBN: 978-0-7020-3058-1. - Medical Ethics. A Case-based approach. Schartz, Preece, Hendry, Saunders Publishers, ISBN0-702-02543-7. 02543-7. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Ind Study, Seminar & Group Learning | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Daniel Bianchi David Cassar David Grillo Pierre Mallia (Co-ord.) Philip Sciortino Raymond Zammit |
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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. |
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