Impact of a new course on students' potential behaviour on encountering ethical dilemmas

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of small-group ethics teaching in a n integrated medical curriculum. Design A quasi-experimental, pre- and post-test, non-equivalent control gro up design. Setting University of Glasgow Medical School. Subjects 111 first-year students from Glasgow University's new learner-cent red medical curriculum, with a control group of 51 students from the last y ear of the traditional curriculum. Main outcome measure Student answers consistent with consensus professional judgement on the ethical dilemmas posed by the vignettes of the Ethics and Health Care Survey Instrument. Results There was a significantly greater increase in the number of post-te st consensus answers in the experimental group (P=0.0048): the odds ratio f or obtaining the post-test consensus answer in the experimental group compa red with the control group was 1.73 (95% confidence interval 1.28-2.33). Si gnificant movement towards consensus occurred in the areas of autonomy, con fidentiality and consent. Among controls there was a significant move away from consensus in the area of 'whistle blowing' on colleagues (P=0.017). Conclusion Small-group ethics teaching, in an integrated medical curriculum , had a positive impact on the first-year students' potential ethical behav iour. It was more effective than a lecture and a large-group seminar-based course in developing students' normative identification with the profession of medicine.