96898 - Principles of Biomedical Ethics

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will: Know the principles of biomedical ethics and will be able to identify the ethical dilemmas they may encounter in clinical practice

Course contents

Introduction to biomedical ethics. Historical overview. Differences between ethics, law, and professional ethics. Ethical dilemmas and practical dilemmas.

Ethical dilemmas arising from new technologies.

Ethical theories. The four-principles approach: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

Decision-making capacity, vulnerability, and the role of family members. Assessment of decision-making capacity. Minors and adults with impaired decision-making capacity. Assent, dissent, and representation.

Telling the truth to the patient. The right to know about one’s condition. The right not to know. Truth, hope, and prognostic uncertainty. Requests from family members not to inform the patient.

Confidentiality and communication. Professional secrecy and confidentiality. Communication with family members and trusted persons. Health information, social media, and digital tools.

End-of-life issues. Proportionality of treatments. Refusal of treatment. Voluntary medically assisted death.

Conflicts of values in the care relationship. The patient’s values and the healthcare professional’s values. Conscientious objection and conscience clauses. Respectful management of disagreement.

Artificial intelligence and digital health. Opportunities and risks of AI in medicine. Bias and discrimination. Transparency and explainability. Responsibility and human oversight. Effects on the doctor-patient relationship.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides, clinical cases, scientific articles, ethical and regulatory documents, videos, podcasts, and any additional materials will be made available by the lecturer on the VIRTUALE platform.

Teaching methods

The course adopts an interactive, practice-oriented, and student-centred approach. Brief theoretical introductions will be followed by activities designed to help students identify and discuss ethical issues arising in clinical practice.

The following teaching methods will be used:

• interactive lectures;

• analysis and discussion of clinical cases;

• individual and small-group exercises;

• simulations and role-playing activities;

• perspective-taking activities;

• structured debates;

• analysis of videos, documents, and clinical conversations;

• exercises on the responsible use and critical evaluation of artificial intelligence.

Selected sessions may include contributions from people with direct experience of ethically complex clinical situations, including physicians and other healthcare professionals, clinical ethics experts, patients, caregivers, or representatives of patient organisations.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of a single multiple-choice test for the entire course, made up of 30 multiple-choice questions (10 for each module).

Students will have 30 minutes to complete the exam. The outcome of the assessment will be either PASS or FAIL.

To pass the exam, students must achieve a passing grade in each module (at least 6 correct answers out of 10 per module).

Teaching tools

PC, video projector, VIRTUALE, ChatGPT.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Ingravallo