Responses
Other responses
Jump to comment:
- Published on: 2 May 2020
- Published on: 2 May 2020A LESSON TO BE LEARNT? HOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC COULD HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON JUNIOR DOCTORS’ ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING.
We were interested to read Corfield et al’s recent article on Foundation doctors’ confidence in dealing with ethical issues in the workplace(1), which felt particularly relevant to us – a fourth-year medical student and a Foundation doctor. The importance of medical law and ethics (MEL) has been emphasised by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Difficult decisions with complex ethical implications have had to be made at both clinical and managerial levels across the health service.
Suddenly, junior doctors’ preparedness to deal with ethical dilemmas is framed in a new light. We took particular note of Corfield et al’s concluding remark which highlights the need for a supportive environment which fosters liberal discussion of ethical queries(1). It is well documented that the presence of rigid hierarchies within the clinical environment can deter junior doctors from raising uncertainties(2-4), a phenomenon likely to extend to those of an ethical nature.
The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented challenge for medics regardless of their level of seniority, which has engendered a feeling of common endeavour with far-reaching consequences for practice. Interestingly, discussions with colleagues have echoed our perception that these changes have precipitated a less pronounced sense of hierarchy. This in turn has the potential to facilitate more open discussion of ethical issues including those generated by the crisis. In relation to the authors’ findings(1),...
Show MoreConflict of Interest:
None declared.
Other content recommended for you
- Medical ethics and law for doctors of tomorrow: the 1998 Consensus Statement updated
- Foundation year one and year two doctors’ prescribing errors: a comparison of their causes
- FY1 doctors’ ethicolegal challenges in their first year of clinical practice: an interview study
- Combating junior doctors’ “4am logic”: a challenge for medical ethics education
- Reflections on learning and teaching medical ethics in UK medical schools
- Medical students’ perceptions of their ethics teaching
- The formative years: medical ethics comes of age
- A practical approach to teaching medical ethics
- The junior doctor as ethically unique
- Ethics, law, and the junior doctor