Medical ethics education has traditionally received limited emphasis in India’s undergraduate medical programs. The National Medical Commission’s recent formal integration of medical ethics into the new competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum is therefore a commendable step. However, a key group of stakeholders—the teachers—has largely been overlooked in this process. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of physiology faculty in Delhi regarding the implementation of ethics teaching within the CBME framework. We conducted a preliminary, questionnaire-based study to assess feasibility in a cross-sectional, observational design. The study targeted senior residents (post-MD) and faculty members from the Physiology departments of nine medical colleges in Delhi, with data collected over the period of February to October 2020.
Out of 79 individuals invited, 60 responded, yielding a 76% response rate. Among the respondents, 24 (40%) were senior residents and 36 (60%) were faculty members. Approximately 55% (33 participants) distinguished between bioethics and clinical ethics, while 53% (32 participants) felt that ethics education could be delivered effectively in large-group sessions. A majority, 75% (45 participants), believed that physiology faculty should take primary responsibility for teaching ethics rather than clinical faculty, and 61.7% (37 participants) supported its inclusion in formative assessments. Participants also identified key ethical topics to be incorporated into the physiology curriculum and suggested the most suitable instructors for these topics to facilitate integration. Despite potential challenges, 65% (39 participants) considered ethics teaching an essential, inseparable component of physiology education across all teaching formats. Participants favored early clinical exposure over the Ethics, Attitude, and Communication (AETCOM) program. By applying the “five W’s and one H” framework, we outline how our findings can serve as a practical guide for physiology educators in integrating ethics teaching into the new competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum.
