Ethics and professionalism conference – Sudan (MedSIN)

Name of the activity: Ethics and professionalism conference

Country/NMO: Sudan (MedSIN)

Program: Ethics & Human Rights in Health

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education

General description:

– A conference gathering 100-250 students, recent graduates and various stakeholders.
– 3 day activity, 1 day conference with themes and panel discussions, 2 day post conference workshops on eithics and professionalism ( beginners and avanced worshop) and bioethics of research..

Focus area:

Medical Ethics (Patient Centered Care, Good Medical Practice, direct doctor-patient relationship)

Problem statement:

Through the history, physicians have been filling and important and unique role in society. Being Medically knowledgeable, we have many times served as the gatekeeper between life and death.
Persons have therefore turned to physicians in times of weakness, often being wounded, sick or having a beloved family member in dire need.
Modern healthcare has given rise to extremely complex and multifaceted ethical dilemmas. All too often medical students and physicians are unprepared to manage these situations completely, leading to compromise of patients rights, patients dissatisfaction and eventually compromise doctor’s rights within the hospital as we have seen in the recent events.

To ensure professionalism in healthcare practice and sound ethical judgment, the medical curriculum must address both international frameworks and ethical guidelines. Medical students should obtain essential skills on how to cope with specific ethical problems, specially in ethical challenge situations as when treating critically-ill patients, or when seeing corruption in healthcare. Medical students and graduates must also develop a critical mind to be encouraged to medical colleagues. This will add to the overall goal of physicians as it was stated in the hippocratic oath and the declaration of Geneva.
When society faces challenges and difficulties, the support for basic moral values often diminishes.
Future physicians therefore need to be given opportunity to strengthen their commitments toward human rights and ethical practice.

The main aim of this initiative is to offer an educational platform to strengthen knowledge of students, graduates and healthcare workers in ethical principles and professional practice. It also serves as an opportunity to call upon governmental institutions. Being responsible for the healthcare of tomorrow and the allocation of resources, to implement the universal declaration of human rights, international humanitarian law and declaration of Geneva as well as education institutions to integrate this knowledge in medical curriculum.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

1. medical students : as future healthcare professionals need to be empowered to enhance knowledge on professional practice and framework safeguarding ethics and patients rights as well as their rights.
2. Medical faculties : a few medical schools have implemented successful ethics and professionalism courses but many more of this element lacking in their curriculum ; we hope this initiative will advocate for the the adoption of modules/course into medical schools curricula therapy fulfilling the mission of education of medical students, not only in terms of knowledge and practical skills, but also the approach to the patient and obtainment of psychological qualities essential to the profession.
3. Healthcare workers : many times , actual ethical practice inn clinical settings face many challenges experienced first-hand by healthcare workers, we hope to offer a platform that engages in inter-professional dialogue to shed light on challenges faced, provides appropriate room for collaborative solutions making hence ensuring an ethical health care practice.
4. National Governmental Institutions : create/updating a police that applies in the work of healthcare professionals reflecting the importance of a patient centered care, health professional workers rights and the role of medical ethics and human rights in health.

Objectives and indicators of success:

1. educate and empower medical students to develop a firm understanding of the impact of the relevant legal frameworks of ethics and professionalism; the basics of good medical practice.
2. Equip future healthcare personnel with the knowledge and confidence to deal with ethical dilemmas in a professional based approach in all settings, hence promoting patient centered care.
3. Discuss the major ethical challenges that face doctors in clinical practice and build the competence to properly communicate difficulties that arise.
4. Discuss medical ethics and professionalism as a component of medical education both undergraduate and postgraduate curricula in sudan; successes, pitfalls and improvements and this is one of the major outcomes we need to consider by stakeholders.
5. Discuss ethics in specific settings eg. bioethics of research and organ transplantation etc.

Methodology:

Through advocacy, interprofessional and collaborations, raising awareness and peer to peer education on ethical conduct as well as developing frameworks and guidelines that will be given to future healthcare personnel, this initiative will ensure that the next generation will be competent to question their professional behavior and decision making and answer by ethical and human rights principles regardless of the circumstances.

Plans for evaluation:

It’s of a crucial issue for the activity ( ethics and professionalism conference ) to be evaluated as to major the impact on members and also the success of the national working flow of the AWP.
As in regard to that, The evaluation plan to the conference would consist of :
1. Pre and post conference form : a classic method to measure the knowledge impact on members. This tool would enable us of measuring the level of knowledge on the topics of concern before and after the activity as it clearly shows what level of knowledge has been delivered and shall be delivered before the conference
2. Pre activity input form : A true application of the principles of social accountability is also seen in the ( input ) forms. This method would enable us from assessing the current needs of the members and on making decisions on the scientific material to be delivered and what to expect as a post activity impact.
3. Assessment and Evaluation Committee : An effective accurate method of evaluating the conference in parts and as a whole is through establishing a specialized committee that would look on assessment and evaluation only. A striking feature of this committee that would enhance the evaluation is that it represents different perspectives and diverse member backgrounds as it includes : OC member, national teams member, expert, advisory board member and an external as well. By this method; tracking the flow of work and plans is more easier.
4. Post Activity internal evaluation : another classic method of which a working team can self measure the activity. An internal evaluation brings self evaluation, pair evaluation, inter committee evaluation to the surface as it reflects a group evaluation and a perspective that would analyze the deep issues to be encountered.