BIOETHICS PROGRAM

The Bioethics Program at the School of Medicine (Porto University) is composed of the pregraduate training and the postgraduate master course. At the pregraduate level two disciplines – Introduction to Medicine (1st Year) and Bioethics and Medical Ethics (4th Year), with an overall duration of 70 hours, have as its essential aim the teaching, and consequent learning, of ethics in health care, especially in what concerns the ethical dimension of health and disease and their relation with health professions. The main ethical theories are presented at a short course of Bioethics in the Discipline of Introduction to Medicine (10 hours) and then at the 4th Year a more consistent program of 60 hours (Discipline of Bioethics and Medical Ethics) is presented to the students. During two full weeks groups of twenty students do participate in the program (between 9.00 a.m. till 16.00 p.m.) with the following learning modalities:

A) Group work: Pedagogical activity of problem solving oriented by staff members and actively prepared by students. Guided discussions of ethical themes between students and experts are the usual practice.


B) Seminars: Themes as well as case studies are presented and discussed with the staff. Frequently audiovisual material (videos, internet) is used.


C) Theoretical presentations: Relevant and controversial issues in bioethics are presented. 

The Core Curriculum of the Bioethics Program is as follows:

1) Ethical theory;
2) Bioethics and Biopolitics;
3) Principles of biomedical ethics;
4) Patient/Physician relation;
5) Privacy and confidentiality;
6) Medical malpractice;
7) HIV dilemmas;
8) Mental health;
9) Euthanasia and assisted suicide;
10) Organ transplantation;
11) Xenotransplantation;
12) The status of the human embryo;
13) Artificial procreation and in vitro fertilization;
14) Cloning and stem cell research;
15) Genetic diagnosis;
16) Gene therapy and genetic enhancement;
17) Human research and clinical trials;
18) Epidemiological research;
19) Animal research and animal rights;
20) Ethics committees;
21) Distributive justice and access to healthcare;
22) Priorities in healthcare;
23) Evidence Based Medicine;
24) Biolaw. 

Assessment is usually performed on a continuous basis. In particular the pedagogic process and the evolution of student’s capabilities are at stake. Parameters considered in the assessment process are:

a) development of communication skills,
b) development of human relationships,
c) regular attendance to the classes,
d) interest and participation in the pedagogic process, and
e) theoretical and practical knowledge.

In small groups, of interactive nature, each student will elaborate a monograph (final report) over a selected case. This case study is presented to the staff as well as to the other students.
 
National Credit Units/European Credit Transfer System: 2 NCU, 3 ECTS.
Language: Portuguese and English