KJC Korea
Journal Central

Medical ethics education program needs to be evaluated just like other education programs. After 3 years of medical ethics education, we studied the effect of it by a questionnaire and DIT test developed by Rest. The results of the questionnaire survey revealed that the students had supportive attitude in general on the educational program which is composed of dilemma discussion. In addition, the DIT test showed that both the higher p-value group and the lower p-value group in the pre-educational test shifted toward the mean p-value after the education. This implicates that medical ethics education practically lowered the p-value of pre-test higher group(statistically meaningful) and raised the p-value of the pre-test lower group(statistically not meaningful). The lowering effect for the pre-test higher group could be explained by the “realization effect” of the education program. We think that the influences of discussion leaders and the natural lowering trends reported by other researchers could contribute to the “realization effect”.

We evaluated the moral judgment of nursing student using DIT test. The mean p value of the students was 45.68(±13.65). And there was no p value difference between student group divided by demographical parameters such as gender, grade, age, family size, sibling and family income. The only parameter which showed difference was religion. Catholic students showed lower p value but this result could not be generalized because the group size of Catholic students were very small. The fact that grade showed no difference means that the curriculum of this school had no effect on students’ whole person education. In conclusion, nursing school need to improve the curriculum to develop students’personalities which is needed in future nurse’s ability.

In Korea, the existence of clear guidelines on DNR(Do Not Resuscitate) has been insufficient. Generally, the procedure is done after assigned doctors and family members subjectively make decisions on DNR. Also, because patients who need DNR have been receiving the procedure inconsistently, the need for clear DNR guidelines is increasing. Through the research, the main purpose is to develop the guidelines. As the first step of the research procedure, various documentary records and DNR related database were used as references. Secondly, based on the reference, the first draft of DNR guidelines that can be applied to hospital settings was created by our researchers. On the next step, a group of professional experts was invited to review the first draft and rectify any controversial contents. To be specific, the guideline proposal was reviewed and corrected by professionals (doctors, philosophers, lawyers, etc) through 2 meetings by Delphi method. Finally, the draft was sent to Hospital Ethics Committee for a delicate examination. As a result, our guideline draft was ethically and legally acceptable according to the committee. Moreover, ethical issues were examined and discussed to provide deep understanding on the guideline draft.

Purpose : This study was done to identify opinions and attitudes on the bioethical issues related to artificial insemination. Methods : The survey was done directly on medical students(99), professor(18), high school teacher(44), pregnant women(50), adults(151) and indirectly through internet on adults(390). Analysis samples included 752 cases and were analyzed using the SPSS-program for descriptive ststistics. Results : This study investigates social attitudes on the bioethical issues related to artificial insemination. About 69% of respondents agreed that artificial insemination was the proper treatment for infertility. 56% of them regarded donated-egg as a living existence. Therefore they emphasized that the remaininng of donated-egg were donated for other infertilized persons or medical science. Respondents were also worry over the bioethical issues related to artificial insemination. The bioethical issues were mainly related to parental authority, surrogate mother, egg donor, and surplus egg.

Although the studies related to nursing ethics which have been reported in Korea mostly concerns the area between nurses and the subjects, the area where nurses experience most seriously in ethical dilemma has become the area of human life. The study was conducted from October 4 to 15, 2005 with 312 nurses currently working at a hospital in D city. The objective of this study is to examine how clinical nurses as medical practitioners understand specifically about the ethics related to the beginning of life, the ethics related to the end of life. The degree of bioethics awareness of nurses showed relatively high and statistically significant in: (1) age, educational status and religion on demographic characteristics; (2) the degree of establishing one's own ethical value system and the ethical decision-making criteria in ethical characteristics; and (3) satisfaction on nursing profession, application of ethical principles in nursing practice and interest in participating in ethics education in nursing characteristics. Therefore, it will further urge the interests of nurses on bioethics as well as serve as basic data for establishing the future nursing ethics education program.

The telephone survey was conducted to investigate the opinions and attitudes of Koreans on organ xenotransplantation. Ten items were developed for this survey. Participants of this study was randomly selected in proportion to 2004 Korean census. Data from five hundred adults were analyzed with SPSS 12. The results showed that 61.6% of the respondents were positive for organ xenotransplantation while 30.8% of them were negative. After they were informed about benefits and risks, however, 49.0% of the respondents addressed the study on organ xenotransplantation should continue while 42.8% of them indicated the study be prohibited. Approximately fifty three percent of the respondents were against the con-position on organ xenotransplantation based on animal rights, but 44.2% of them agreed with the con-position. In addition, 53.0% of the respondents were for the gene transformation of pigs to obtain organs avoiding human immune rejection response. If organ xenotransplanation is safe, 64.0% of the respondents indicated that they would get the transplantation surgery and 71.0% of the respondents pointed out they would recommend it for their family members and relatives. Male persons are more positive than female on animal experimentation for organ xenotransplantation and the gene transformation of pigs, but 65.7% of male respondents and 58.0% of female respondents were positive for organ xenotransplantation. There were no significant differences according to different religions. Therefore, we concluded that Koreans have more positive attitudes than negative ones to organ xenotransplantation and animal experimentations to develop organs for that transplantation. However, the change in participant’s attitudes following informed benefits and risks suggests that the key issue is to reduce risks in organ xenotransplantation.

최근의 집중치료의 발전은 치유는 되지 않은 채 사망에 이르는 시간만 연장시키는 경우들을 초래하여 연명치료의 지속여부와 관련한 윤리적 갈등을 야기하고 있다. 의료인들은 흔히 의료윤리 문제를 개개인의 의료윤리 지식이나 가치관 혹은 동료의사의 의견을 참고하여 해결하여 왔으나 사회는 의료인들이 보다 전문적이고 체계적으로 의료윤리 문제들에 접근 할 것을 요구하고 있다. 연명치료의 중단과 관련된 의료윤리 문제의 해결에 병원윤리위원회가 중요한 역할을수행할 수 있으나 국내의 현실은 그렇지 않은 것으로 추정된다. 이에 한 병원윤리위원회에서 연명치료 중단에 연관된 윤리 문제를 다룬 경험을 통하여 국내 병원윤리위원회와 연관된 문제점들을 고찰하고자 한다.