Ethical and legal aspects in teaching students of medicine

• Published in: Science and engineering ethics Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 75 - 80
• Main Author: Wlasienko, Pawel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Nature B.V 01.01.2005
• Subjects: Bioethics; Bioethics - education; Curriculum; Education, Medical, Undergraduate; Ethics, Medical - education; Forensic Medicine - education; Legal medicine; Medical technology; Poland; Students; Training; Poland; Bioethics and Professional Ethics
• ISSN: 1353-3452; 1471-5546
• DOI: 10.1007/s11948-005-0058-4

Due to the rapid advances in medical technology, medical students are now being faced with increasingly complex and unparalleled ethical and practical dilemmas during their training. The new and future challenges of high-tech medicine demand improvements in current medical education, not only by meeting the needs of students through humanized training programs, but also by involving them in finding solutions to the ethical and legal quandaries they encounter. Today's students of medical universities must acquire knowledge and understanding of the ethical and legal issues relevant to the practice of medicine, and we have to do everything possible to introduce these students to the current discussions on more or less controversial ethical and legal topics. Although final answers may not be found, the very discussion, argumentation, and awakening of students' interest should become an essential part of the core curriculum of every doctor.