Behaviour of Medical Students when Faced with Ethical Dilemmas in Research

A study was conducted to determine the course of action opted for by medical students when faced with ethical dilemmas in research. A questionnaire with 10 scenarios related to ethical dilemmas related to research was administered to randomly selected 4th year medical students who had completed all components of the training in research ethics and had completed an undergraduate research group project. The results revealed that students had doubts and inaccuracies of knowledge regarding some basic aspects of research, in spite of repeated exposure to instruction on research ethics and having completed an undergraduate research project of their own. This underscores the importance of structuring research ethics curricular to ensure that students practice what they learn. Therefore, it is not adequate to merely develop the students knowledge and skills in ethics related to research by conducting lectures and research projects. It is necessary like in the teaching of other aspects of medical ethics to employ methods to ensure a change in attitude of students.