Perceptions and practices of medical practitioners towards ethics in medical practice - a study from coastal South India

Impact of exposure to rational career reflective training on work-related ethics among student-philosophers

BACKGROUND

Teaching individuals at the early-career stage what and how to respect organizational codes of conduct is a good step in creating a democratic working environment. As a result, it is important to coach students in sustaining organizational well-being by seeking the truth, teaching the truth and upholding the truth. Currently, how these are taught in institutions of higher learning lacks structure. In fact, some graduate students are displaying work-deviant behaviors showing that they have poor perceptions of work-related ethics. Using this reason, we tested the impact of exposure to rational career reflective training on work-related ethics among student-philosophers.

METHODS

This is a pretest, posttest with a follow-up pure experimental design was used. A total of 105 student-philosophers were recruited, assessed 3 times using Ethics and irrational beliefs measures, and coached by therapists. The participants were exposed to 12-session rational career reflective training. The data collected were subjected to a multivariate statistical analysis to test how effective the intervention was in changing negative perceptions about ethics.

RESULTS

It was found that rational career reflective training changes negative perceptions about work-related ethics among student-philosophers. The effectiveness of rational career reflective training is not statistically influenced by gender and group interaction. Gender does not moderate the impact of the intervention.

CONCLUSION

This study finally suggests that rational career reflective training effectively changes negative perceptions about ethics among student-philosophers. Thus, recommends the advancement of Ellis principles in other workplaces and across populations.

Testing the impact of occupational intervention on professional ethics and values of Staff in University Medical Centers

BACKGROUND

The level of commitment to jobs is the driver of how much a worker could offer to those that need the services. People become poised to deliver services when they hold the job in high esteem. Evidence abounds that some workers in public services barely value their professional responsibilities and conduct. This motivated the present researchers to test the impacts of rational emotive behavioral occupational intervention (REBOI) on the professional ethics and values of Staff in University Medical Centers.

METHODS

to achieve the above aim, a randomized control design was used. A total of 114 staff were recruited, assessed 3 times using 3 instruments, and coached by therapists. The coaching last for 12 sessions. The data collected were subjected to a multivariate statistical analysis to test how effective the intervention was in changing negative perceptions about values and ethics in workplaces.

RESULTS

It was found that REBOI changes negative perceptions about professional ethics and values among staff of medical centers. The effectiveness of the REBOI is not statistically influenced by gender and group interaction. Gender does not moderate the impact of the intervention.

CONCLUSION

This study finally suggests that REBOI effectively changes negative perceptions about values and ethics among health workers. Thus, recommends for the advancement of Ellis' principles in other workplaces and across populations.

Patients' Awareness About Their Rights: A Study from Coastal South India

Respecting patients' rights is a fundamental aspect of providing quality healthcare. The present investigation attempts to explore the awareness among patients about their rights in a coastal township in India. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 215 patients admitted to the wards of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Mangalore. Awareness among patients regarding their rights varied for various issues and ranged between 48.4 and 87.4 %. Awareness about patients' rights was independent of gender, socio-economic and educational status. Doctors were found to be the most common source of information for patient's about their rights in the study. Doctors must conform to the relevant legislations and involve patients in all aspects of healthcare. There is a need to increase awareness among patients about their rights to ensure informed decisions and better health care services.

Medical ethics in sub-Sahara Africa: closing the gaps

BACKGROUND

Health care providers are expected to have the skills and knowledge relevant to their field and should also be familiar with the ethical and legal expectations that arise out of the standard practices.

OBJECTIVES

To elucidate the practice of the health care providers in relation to healthcare ethics in Nigeria.

METHODS

A self-administered structured questionnaire was devised and distributed to staff of two tertiary health care facilities in Northern Nigeria. The questionnaire comprised of detailed questions regarding day-to-day aspects of Medical ethical issues.

RESULTS

A total of 307(76.2%) out of 403 health care providers responded to the questionnaire. The median age of the respondents was 34 years. More than half 168(54.7%) of the respondents disagreed as to whether "Ethical conduct is important only to avoid legal action. Many respondents 135 (44.0%) agreed to adhering to "patient's wishes", on the other hand over two-third of the respondents 211 (68.7%) agreed that "doctor should do what is best" irrespective of the patient's opinion. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the perception of physicians and non-physicians on many ethical issues.

CONCLUSION

This study has shown gap in knowledge and practice of healthcare ethics among health care providers. There is a need for periodic education on clinical ethics in our hospitals.