Ethics Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviors of University Hospital Residents in Korea

Purpose : To identify residents’ personal perception of their work environment regarding medical ethics in Korea.

Method : We administered a questionnaire to the 2,000 residents who work in the university hospitals.

Results : Nine hundreds forty residents responded. Most of residents had experienced a serious ethical dilemma or intimidation from patients or their families during their practices. Only 4.3% of the responding residents were familiar with the medical laws. 20.1 % of respondents had the experience of trying to get a signed consent without a detailed explanation. In addition, most of the residents felt uncomfortable disclosing bad information directly to patients.

The patient’s family or the attending staff mainly influenced the decision of do-not-resuscitate orders. Faced with the family's insistence on withdrawing life-sustaining therapy, a majority of respondents accepted the request. Most of the residents expressed their opinions personally to colleagues concerned, which had unethical practices. They usually solved their ethical dilemmas by discussion with the senior residents or colleagues. Most of the respondents desired ethics training during residency.

Conclusion : It is urgent that educational program directors for residency should provide a regular educational program for medical ethics and law to address the complex ethical obligations.