Curricular Unit:Code:
Ethics and Professional Deontology146EDPR
Year:Level:Course:Credits:
3UndergraduateClinical Analyses and Public Health3 ects
Learning Period:Language of Instruction:Total Hours:
Portuguese39
Learning Outcomes of the Curricular Unit:
(i) To understand their ethical and cultural context;
(ii) To know how to apply the acquired knowledge in the field of ethics and deontology by demonstrating a professional approach based on ethics, to the work in their future work field;
(iii) To know how to gather, select and interpret the relevant information, especially in their scientific area, in order to be able to give an ethical justification of decisions and of judgments in professional field;
(iv) To know how to solve ethical and deontological dilemmas in their future field of work and to know how to build and ground personal ethical and deontological arguments.
Syllabus:
1st Unit – Fundamental concepts: 1. General definitions of “ethics”; 2. General definitions of “bioethics”; 3. General definitions of “deontology”; 4. Circles of ethical reasoning; 5. The four prima facie principles; 5.1. Beneficence; 5.2. Non-maleficence; 5.3. Justice; 5.4. Autonomy.
2nd Unit – Fundamental documents in the field of bioethics: 1. Helsinki Declaration; 2. Bill of the Patients’ Rights; 3. Clinic Research Law.
3rd Unit – Professional Deontology: 1. Process of decision-making; 2. Code of Ethics of the Portuguese Association of the Clinical Analysis and Public Health Technicians.
Demonstration of the Syllabus Coherence with the Curricular Unit's Objectives:
1st unit - Syllabus contents focus on specific theoretical issues in the area of ethics and bioethics, thus enabling the fulfillment of the course objectives, specifically: to understand their ethical and cultural context.
2nd unit – Syllabus contents focus on the knowledge of international and national documents relevant for research and professional practice in the field of clinical analysis.
3rd unit - Syllabus contents focus on the theoretical practical application of knowledge in the field of deontology, thus enabling the fulfillment of the course objectives, namely: to know how to apply the acquired knowledge in the field of ethics and deontology by demonstrating a professional approach based on ethics, to the work in the field of clinical analysis, to know how to gather, select and interpret the relevant information, especially in their scientific area, in order to be able to give an ethical justification of decisions and of judgments in professional field.
Teaching Methodologies (Including Evaluation):
Teaching methodology will include theoretical lecturing, research, reading and discussion of specific references, as well as thematic debating and critical reflection. Assessment will be continuous and based on a written test and a practical individual essay (resolution of a dilemma), as well as on the participation of the students in the execution of theoretical and practical tasks in the classroom, and on the participation of scientific activities such as seminaries and conferences existing in the University.
Demonstration of the Coherence between the Teaching Methodologies and the Learning Outcomes:
1st unit – Theoretical overview of the concept of ethics, deontology and morals as well as of the relation and difference between them. Theoretical overview of the circles of ethical reasoning, in order to enable the understanding of the subjective, intersubjective and social dimensions of ethics (according to Paul Ricoeur and John Rawls’ notion of justice). Theoretical overview of the four prima facie principles emphasizing their relevance for professionals in the field of clinical analysis.Theoretical exposition of contents in the field of ethics; readings on ethics. Practical exercises aiming to apply the prima facie principles to situations in the field of clinical analysis. 2nd Unit – Theoretical exposition of the fundamental contents of the Helsinki Declaration and of its relevance for the field of laboratory research. Theoretical exposition of the fundamental contents of the Bill of the Patients’ Rights and of the law on Clinical Research. Theoretical exercise of consolidation of knowledge from unit 1 and 2. 3rd unit - Presentation of the codes of ethics of the Portuguese Association of the Clinical Analysis and Public Health Technicians; Individual paper on the solution of a dilemma in the field (presented and discussed during classes).
Reading:
Beauchamp, T.L. & Childress, J.F. (2001). Principles of biomedical ethics. Nova Iorque: Oxford University Press.
Hottois, G.; Missa, J.-N. (2003). Nova enciclopédia da bioética: medicina, ambiente, biotecnologia. Lisboa: Instituto Piaget.
Serrão, D. (2010). “A dignidade humana no mundo pós-moderno”. In: Revista portuguesa de bioética, nº 11 (Julho 2010), 191-199
Serrão, D. (2009). “Autonomia: um difícil conceito”. In: Revista portuguesa de bioética, nº 8 (Setembro 2009), 175-185.
Serrão (2010). “O pensar e o agir com discernimento em bioética”. In: Revista portuguesa de bioética, nº 12 (Novembro 2010), 343-352.
Taveira, M. A. (2011). “Ética e responsabilidade na investigação científica com participantes humanos”. In: Revista portuguesa de bioética, Nº 13 (Abril 2011), pp. 91-112.
Código de Ética da Associação Portuguesa dos Técnicos de Análises Clínicas e Saúde Pública.