Abstract
This study reviews the ethical issues encountered by Japanese medical residents and surveys the postgraduate ethics education offered to them. We surveyed 120 residents in the Kumamoto University Hospital Group in 2008 to identify their experiences and attitudes regarding ethics education. Thirty-seven residents returned valid responses yielding a response rate of 31%. The ethical issues encountered included Do Not Resuscitate orders (DNR), informed consent, truthful communication, and allocation of scarce healthcare resources. Many residents indicated that they routinely ask a supervising physician for advice regarding the resolution of ethical dilemmas, but the treatment plan as determined by the supervising physician does not often adequately reflect the ethical perspectives of the residents. Although many residents reported that they consider ethics education to be an important component of residency training, some claimed that priority should be given to acquisition of clinical skills over ethics education. Respondents indicated that they encounter ethical problems on a daily basis, but lack appropriate ethics education courses in their residency programs. We therefore conclude that development of a comprehensive ethics education program for Japanese medical residents is urgently needed. Unfortunately, the present study is preliminary in nature and surveys only a small number of clinical residents in Kumamoto. A nationwide cross-sectional survey of Japanese clinical residents and educators is needed.
