Ethics Forum - Ethics of Patient Care by Trainee-Doctors in Teaching Hospitals

Abstract

It is the aim of the teaching hospitals to provide the trainees and the supervising clinician-faculty with an environment conducive to teaching and learning without compromising the quality of patient care in any way. In contrast to the traditional learning in a classroom, clinical learning includes all activities undertaken by a trainee in providing patient care. An ethically sensitive teacher often faces the dilemma of having to balance between one's duty as a teacher to train the students well and duty as a clinician to do the best for the patient. The essence of this dilemma is - beneficence to students versus non-maleficence to patients. This can only be sorted out by careful introspection - "Is patient welfare being compromised to accommodate the needs of the students?"