IADR Abstract Archives
Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Medical Ethics Among Medical and Dental House Officers in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and perception of medical ethics among medical and dental house officers in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos, Nigeria.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. All (120) medical and dental house officers were eligible for participation. Data obtained were analysed using Epi info version 7.2.5. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 112 medical and dental house officers participated in this study. Though the majority (73.21%) had a fair overall knowledge of medical ethics, 37.5% and 4.46% of the respondents had good knowledge of the principles of Beneficence and Veracity. Only 9.52% and 20.54% knew the content of the Nuremberg Code and Helsinki Declaration respectively.
83.93% had good attitude towards medical ethics, however, 44.64% believed that not all medical errors should be revealed by the doctor. While 88.39% had favourable perception of medical ethics, only 41.96% would disclose errors by their colleagues. There was no statistically significant relationship between the sociodemographic variables, and the knowledge, attitude and perception of medical ethics.
Conclusions: A significant proportion of the house officers had good overall knowledge, attitude and perception of medical ethics. However, the current knowledge of the central ethical codes of medical research is poor. There is need for training on the principles of Beneficence and Veracity, and methods of disclosing medical errors. The culture of revealing medical errors should be also encouraged.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. All (120) medical and dental house officers were eligible for participation. Data obtained were analysed using Epi info version 7.2.5. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 112 medical and dental house officers participated in this study. Though the majority (73.21%) had a fair overall knowledge of medical ethics, 37.5% and 4.46% of the respondents had good knowledge of the principles of Beneficence and Veracity. Only 9.52% and 20.54% knew the content of the Nuremberg Code and Helsinki Declaration respectively.
83.93% had good attitude towards medical ethics, however, 44.64% believed that not all medical errors should be revealed by the doctor. While 88.39% had favourable perception of medical ethics, only 41.96% would disclose errors by their colleagues. There was no statistically significant relationship between the sociodemographic variables, and the knowledge, attitude and perception of medical ethics.
Conclusions: A significant proportion of the house officers had good overall knowledge, attitude and perception of medical ethics. However, the current knowledge of the central ethical codes of medical research is poor. There is need for training on the principles of Beneficence and Veracity, and methods of disclosing medical errors. The culture of revealing medical errors should be also encouraged.