Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students

Although inclusion of ethics as a study course in medical students’ curricula is a common practice, special approaches in teaching ethics in the context of genetics should be considered. In the realm of genomics, there are several ethically sensitive topics such as diagnosis of genetic diseases, in...

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Autores principales:	Erika Nagle, Dzintra Kažoka
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2014
Materias:	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/d7ec8a6a4f9f4abcbb584d43ec011436
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:d7ec8a6a4f9f4abcbb584d43ec0114362021-11-15T15:15:36ZEthical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students10.1128/jmbe.v15i2.7761935-78851935-7877https://doaj.org/article/d7ec8a6a4f9f4abcbb584d43ec0114362014-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v15i2.776https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7877https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7885Although inclusion of ethics as a study course in medical students’ curricula is a common practice, special approaches in teaching ethics in the context of genetics should be considered. In the realm of genomics, there are several ethically sensitive topics such as diagnosis of genetic diseases, in vitro fertilization, and identification of genetic susceptibility to common diseases. In addition, in communication with the general public, genetic terms should be used with caution. Demonstration of the phenotypes of affected individuals should be regarded as a particular aspect of teaching genetics. In a description of a patient’s phenotype, not only is it necessary to provide scientifically precise characteristics of a patient; voice timbre, facial expression, and body language should also be carefully controlled. Furthermore, in medicine, the theory–practice gap is a problematic aspect, and students often find it difficult to apply knowledge on ethical issues to real situations in clinics. For this purpose, clinical cases are presented during classes and their analysis requires a very respectful attitude on the part of both students and lecturers. For many genetic diseases, evaluation of minor anomalies such as a curved fifth finger, low situated ears, or missing of some teeth is required. Some minor anomalies are found in healthy individuals too, and interpretation of such features must therefore be considered carefully. This article describes our experiences in teaching genetics at Riga Stradinš University, ethical problems faced while teaching genetics, and their solutions.Erika NagleDzintra KažokaAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691Biology (General)QH301-705.5ENJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Vol 15, Iss 2, Pp 181-185 (2014)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Erika Nagle Dzintra Kažoka Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students
description	Although inclusion of ethics as a study course in medical students’ curricula is a common practice, special approaches in teaching ethics in the context of genetics should be considered. In the realm of genomics, there are several ethically sensitive topics such as diagnosis of genetic diseases, in vitro fertilization, and identification of genetic susceptibility to common diseases. In addition, in communication with the general public, genetic terms should be used with caution. Demonstration of the phenotypes of affected individuals should be regarded as a particular aspect of teaching genetics. In a description of a patient’s phenotype, not only is it necessary to provide scientifically precise characteristics of a patient; voice timbre, facial expression, and body language should also be carefully controlled. Furthermore, in medicine, the theory–practice gap is a problematic aspect, and students often find it difficult to apply knowledge on ethical issues to real situations in clinics. For this purpose, clinical cases are presented during classes and their analysis requires a very respectful attitude on the part of both students and lecturers. For many genetic diseases, evaluation of minor anomalies such as a curved fifth finger, low situated ears, or missing of some teeth is required. Some minor anomalies are found in healthy individuals too, and interpretation of such features must therefore be considered carefully. This article describes our experiences in teaching genetics at Riga Stradinš University, ethical problems faced while teaching genetics, and their solutions.
format	article
author	Erika Nagle Dzintra Kažoka
author_facet	Erika Nagle Dzintra Kažoka
author_sort	Erika Nagle
title	Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students
title_short	Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students
title_full	Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students
title_fullStr	Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students
title_full_unstemmed	Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students
title_sort	ethical challenges in teaching genetics for medical students
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2014
url	https://doaj.org/article/d7ec8a6a4f9f4abcbb584d43ec011436
work_keys_str_mv	AT erikanagle ethicalchallengesinteachinggeneticsformedicalstudents AT dzintrakazoka ethicalchallengesinteachinggeneticsformedicalstudents
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Ethical Challenges in Teaching Genetics for Medical Students

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