Naslov
Stagnation of Moral Competence Development of Medical Students: A Cross Sectional Study in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Autori
Kukolja Taradi, Sunčana

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Abstract Book: 8th International Symposium on Moral-Democratic Competence & Conflict Resolution, University of Konstanz / - , 2014

Skup
8th International Symposium on Moral-Democratic Competence & Conflict Resolution, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany

Mjesto i datum
Konstanz, Njemačka, 31.07.2014. - 01.08.2014

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
medical students; moral competence; moral development

Sažetak
Being a good doctor is more than academic excellence, it primarily requires a very high level of moral competence. Therefore fostering moral competence of medical students should be the central mission of medical education. Unfortunately, research does not confirm the hypothesis that medical education fosters students moral development. Unlike, many studies around the world revealed disturbing data that medical education obstructs students' moral development or even attenuates it. This poses a major challenge to medical education. The aim of our study was to assess the development of moral competence and attitudes among medical students in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to find out the dependence of these parameters on factors such as study year, gender, religion and parents educational attainment. In a cross sectional study we used Lind's Moral Judgement Test (MJT) to score moral judgement competence and moral orientations of students in different study years at all four Croatian medical schools and Mostar Medical School in Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with a group of faculty members from Zagreb Medical School. Our study showed that, regardless of county or/and institution of study, moral competence of medical students did not increase across study years. The C-scores of students in Croatia stayed substantially unchanged across study years, while students in Mostar Medical School (Bosnia and Herzegovina) scored lower in their last study years in compare to their first year results (-4.6 points ; d = -0.38). The level of moral competence of medical students in Croatia (n = 1004), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (n = 94), as well as of medical teachers (n = 38) was similar ; their average C-scores were 17.9 ± 13.5, 13.6 ± 12.2, and 15.9 ± 9.7 respectively. There was a moderate moral segmentation among Mostar students who scored lower on the euthanasia dilemma than on the workers’ dilemma (-3.7 points ; d = -0.40). When analyzed by study years, the segmentation of a medium effect size was evidenced among Mostar students in their last study years (-5.0 points ; d = -0.50). Agnostic students who attended ethics courses in high school obtained the highest C- scores (23.4 ± 14.1). It exceeded that of their religious peers who were engaged with catechism by 6.7 points (d = 0.50). Besides, students from more educated families had higher moral competencies than their colleagues with less educated parents (5.6 points ; d = 0.45). Students opinions were more extreme on the euthanasia decision than on the workers' decision. The percentage of participants who totally disagreed (“–3”) with the practice of euthanasia in the Doctor’s dilemma (17% in Croatia ; 19% in Bosnia and Herzegovina) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the percentage of students who extremely disagreed with the decision in the Worker’s dilemma (3% in Croatia ; 5% in Bosnia and Herzegovina). We argue that the stagnation of moral competence development of medical students in both countries is a consequence of an unfavorable educational environment that can be linked: A) to complex socioeconomic structures of both countries burdened with heavy political and economic problems, and B) to an overloaded medical curriculum that prevents rather than fosters the development of moral competencies. This vital problem of medical education calls for deep reflection by faculty and university administrators to reevaluate the curriculum and implement new effective methods of fostering moral competence.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Temeljne medicinske znanosti, Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

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