The high school of Doctors of Navarra submission the awards of the IV competition of ethical-deontological clinical cases for students.

The case graduate "Refusal of treatment in a patient with ovarian cancer: case report" has obtained the first award of the IV competition of Ethical-Deontological Clinical Cases for sixth year medical students, organized by the high school of Doctors in partnership with the School of Medicine of the University of Navarra.

The authors of the winning work are Antonio Sierra Maestro-Lansac, Javier López Herreros, Vladimir Rodaev and Juan Pablo Valverde Aldana, all of them sixth-year medical students. They will donate the 600 euros received by the award to project or solidarity organization in the field of health of their choice and that has the endorsement of the Cooperation Office of the high school of Doctors.

The case graduate "Volver a casa: la otra cara de la moneda" by María Álvaro Martínez, in which the author proposes self-care as "a duty and an ethical responsibility of the physician in order to guarantee optimal care for her patients", was also awarded a runner-up prize and 300 euros.

The president of the high school of Physicians, Dr. Rafael Teijeira, and the Dean of the School, Dr. Secundino Fernández, presented the awards on the occasion of the reception to the students of second cycle of Medicine of the University of Navarra, which is held annually in order to publicize the services that the high school offers to students and enable them the first contact with the profession. The secretary of the high school of Doctors of Navarra, Julio Duart, explained to the students why and what the high school is for and listed the services to which they can already have access as precollegiate members.

Learning for the internship medical

Dr. Pilar León, administrative assistant of the Deontology Commission of high school of Doctors of Navarra and board member of the Central Commission of Deontology (CCD) of committee General of Official Medical Associations (CGCOM), stressed that "the cases that have been presented at competition are related to a wide variety of topics and have served as an exercise in professional ethical and deontological reflection on situations arising in patient care, interprofessional relations or the medical professional development . Many of the situations described arise from experiences that the students have had during their internships".

He added that the purpose of competition is to "emphasize that the medical work has a human dimension that is inseparable from its technical dimension. And that any medical action requires a careful analysis of facts and values. Participation in the competition gives importance to deliberation and respectful dialogue with the multiple situations that students have experienced throughout their programs of study and that will be part of their professional life."

76 students, 36 cases and 6 finalists

A total of 76 students participated in this fourth edition of competition. The Deontology Commission of the high school of Doctors of Navarra evaluated the 35 cases presented, some individually and others in teams, and selected the six finalist cases, taking into account the following criteria: didactic and formative interest for medical students; the scientific quality of the work; the novelty of the contribution; the appropriateness of the medical-ethical argumentation; and the answer to the questions raised in the cases.

In addition to the award winners, the other four cases that advanced to the final phase of competition were: "Controversial request by a patient's legal representative" by Paula Maria Domench; "Just a little more" by Marta Olmedo, Ignacio Chiva, Javier Villalón and Javier de Arístegui; "Autonomy versus authority" by Andrea Ortiz; and "Vaccination in minors" by María Inés Sevillano, Isabel Iriarte, Ane Murillo and Ane Uriarte.