Understanding and applying medical ethics is increasingly recognized as essential in medical education. This research comprised two studies: the first evaluated clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices regarding medical ethics at Patan Academy of Health Sciences, a tertiary teaching hospital in Nepal, while the second compared these outcomes between doctors who had formal medical ethics training during their undergraduate studies and those who had not. Two cross-sectional surveys using self-administered questionnaires were performed. Study 1 involved 72 participants, including interns, medical officers, and consultants. Study 2 compared 54 medical officers with formal ethics training (Group 1) to 60 without such training (Group 2).
Doctors with postgraduate qualifications scored higher in knowledge (p = 0.050), practice (p < 0.001), and combined scores (p = 0.011). Ethics-educated participants demonstrated significantly better knowledge (p < 0.001), attitudes (p = 0.001), practices (p < 0.001), and overall performance (p < 0.001). Consulting colleagues was the preferred approach for handling ethical dilemmas, while awareness of the Declaration of Helsinki was low. A majority viewed physicians as the primary decision-makers in patient care (Study 1: 70.42 percent; Study 2, Group 1: 42.59 percent, Group 2: 80 percent). Participants struggled most with scenarios involving truth-telling, end-of-life care, HIV/AIDS treatment, managing minors, and reporting colleagues’ errors. Formal medical ethics education correlates with higher knowledge, improved attitudes, and better self-reported practices. These findings support the integration of ethics education into core medical training. A supportive, non-punitive environment should encourage consultation with senior colleagues, and research ethics must be emphasized. Training should particularly address areas where physicians demonstrate ethical weaknesses, tailored to local healthcare contexts.
