"Ethics is a fundamental pillar in medicine; if you don't take good care of yourself, you can't practice good clinical internship ."

A team of professors from the School of Medicine of the University of Navarra and the University of Zaragoza specialized in various areas of ethics and medicine have published the book "Temas de ética clínica para estudiantes de medicina". Edited by specialists from the Clínica Universidad de Navarra Gabriel Gastaminza, Carmen D'Amelio and María José Yepes, among others, the book aims to facilitate the learning of clinical ethics from a practical approach adapted to medical reality.

"We saw the need for accessible, structured material that would allow students to address complex issues in medical ethics from the perspective of the healthcare professional," explains Dr. Gastaminza. "Ethics is a fundamental pillar in medicine. If you don't take good care of ethics, you can't practice good clinical internship ."

The book gathers the authors' professor experience in medical ethics courses and its methodology is designed to stimulate discussion and reflection in the classroom: "Each chapter starts with a real clinical case, which allows students to confront problematic situations that they may encounter in their professional internship ," says Dr. D'Amelio. Subsequently, the theoretical foundations are presented and core topic, recommended bibliography and even film references are included to enrich the learning process.

Opening students' eyes to better grasp concepts

"The student 's eyes are much more open when you show them a case than when you just give them a theoretical concept. In their internships, we want them to open their eyes to discover everyday ethical issues that permeate the physician's work and reflect them in a portfolio. And we teach them to analyze the status they have chosen, to classify the issues it raises and learn from it with the help of their tutor," adds Gastaminza. That's why this new book also includes cinematographic references, as the films tell real stories in a visual and attractive way, which financial aid students to better understand the concepts. "The images reinforce the theory and allow the students to assimilate the topics in a different way."

Thus, the topics addressed range from confidentiality, the relationship with the pharmaceutical industry or the ethics of biomedical research , to the palliative approach in serious illnesses, refusal of treatment, technology, organ transplants or conscientious objection. "We try to explain that ethics is not reduced to the great dilemmas of medicine," explains D'Amelio. "There are many, many aspects of our daily professional actions that also have an ethical component: how we listen to patients, how we provide them with information, how we respect their decisions or confidentiality."

The project has taken several years of work, with biweekly meetings between the editors and other collaborating teachers. "We didn't want it to be just a guide, but a guide that helps students to reflect and participate in discussions about ethics in medicine," concludes Dr. Yepes. "When we read the cases that the students develop in the portfolios, we are reaffirmed in the professor power of this tool. Many have told us that this subject has helped them rediscover their vocation. Nowadays, medicine is very focused on technology and scientific advances, and sometimes the human dimension of the doctor is lost. With this subject and projects like this book, we are trying to bring it back.

The book is now available on Amazon.