Background: The patients' forum Medical Ethics is an innovative model
project, which aims at intensifying the dialogue between health care p
rofessionals and patients as well as their relatives. Methods and Resu
lts: Practical experiences and data from a complementing evaluative st
udy are reported. By means of a sophisticated instrument of moral psyc
hology, the Moralisches-Urteil-Test (M-U-T), differences are revealed
between the participating groups - doctors, health care professionals,
patients, medical students etc. - referring to more cognitive or emot
ional orientations in moral judgment, respectively. These differences
contradict common assumptions. Conclusion: On the ground of the data p
resented as well as by subjective estimations of participants it is sh
own that the ethics discussion with patients is not only successful, b
ut that it is also valuable for teaching by fostering new insights and
experiences.