The Effects of Medical Ethics Education Centered on Virtue-based Bioethics: Focusing on a Perception Survey of a Medical School

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As advancements in healthcare technology continue, ethical challenges in clinical and research settings have grown increasingly complex. These challenges highlight the necessity of equipping future physicians with bioethical decision-making skills, empathy, and ethical sensitivity. Virtue ethics, emphasizing character formation and practical wisdom (phronesis), provides a foundational framework for addressing these challenges by integrating humanistic and philosophical approaches into medical practice.<BR/>Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtue ethics-centered medical ethics curriculum in enhancing medical students' ethical sensitivity, empathy, and bioethical judgment skills. Additionally, it examines students' satisfaction with activity-based learning methods, such as hospital ethics committee role-play and mock IRB activities, and identifies areas for curriculum improvement.<BR/>Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with third-year medical students at A Medical School in 2018 and 2019. Data were collected through structured surveys assessing ethical sensitivity, empathy, bioethical decision-making, and overall satisfaction with the curriculum. Factor analysis and independent t-tests were employed for data analysis.<BR/>Results: The curriculum significantly improved students' ethical sensitivity and empathy, with activity-based learning approaches playing a pivotal role in fostering bioethical decision-making capabilities. Role-play and mock IRB activities received particularly high satisfaction scores, highlighting their practical relevance. However, a slight decline in satisfaction in 2019 revealed areas for improvement in course structure and delivery.<BR/>Conclusion: A virtue ethics-centered approach to medical ethics education is effective in cultivating ethically competent future physicians who can navigate complex bioethical dilemmas. To enhance the curriculum’s impact, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives from philosophy, sociology, and clinical practice is recommended. Establishing a national framework for standardized bioethics education can further ensure consistency and quality across institutions, preparing students for the ethical complexities of modern medicine. This study underscores the value of virtue ethics in addressing the evolving needs of medical education and contributes to the global discourse on bioethics education.