Medical students′ evaluation of their exposure to the teaching of ethics

BACKGROUND: The subject of Biomedical Ethics has become recognized as an essential integral component in the undergraduate curriculum of medical students. OBJECTIVES: (1) To review the current Biomedical Ethics Course offered at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). (2) To explore the perception of medical students on the different components of the course. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical students were requested to participate in the study at the end of the course by filling in a pre-designed questionnaire. A qualitative approach was used also to examine their perceptions about certain components of the course. RESULTS: Forty-one medical students participated in this study. All students expressed their strong agreement on the importance of their learning biomedical ethics. Their views about the role of Biomedical Ethics were also considered. These include professional development, assessment of ethical competencies, and the timing of the teaching of ethics. CONCLUSION: The students provided valuable comments that were supported by the literature reviews. Medical Students' views of the teaching of the various components of biomedical ethics are important and should be sought in the planning of a curriculum.