BACKGROUND: Adherence to medical ethics principles by medical professionals is required to improve health-care system's quality. Recognizing medical ethics' challenges and attempting to resolve them are important in the implementation of medical ethics in practice. This study aimed to explore such challenges at Iran's medical sciences universities in 2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive, qualitative study utilized a conventional content analysis approach for data analysis. This study was conducted using purposeful sampling from participants with experience in teaching or practicing of medical ethics field, and by considering maximum variety of disciplines (e.g., gynecology, internal medicine, surgery, and medical ethics). The data were gathered using semi-structured interviews. The interview guide was designed based on previous research findings by two members of the research team and contained the main interview questions and participants had the opportunity to express their perspectives in detail. Participants were chosen from clinical and ethical faculty members as well as managers. The data collection process continued until the data saturation stage, beyond which no new information or concept achieved by continuing interviews. RESULTS: After interviewing 14 faculty members and managers, findings were classified into 4 themes, 9 categories, and 42 sub-categories; four main categories of medical ethics challenges are affected by cognitive, educational, practical, and structural factors, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that medical ethics' cognitive and educational challenges can alleviate using educational programs intended for improving qualitative and quantitative aspects of medical ethics teaching for medical professionals ranging from students to faculty members. Medical ethics' structural and practical challenges are within policymaking and scheduling activities dealt with through future researches by health-care system's managers and planners.

Background: The recent rapid developments in medical science and technologies have brought about powerful medical tools; however, the professional commitment has failed to keep pace. Professionals’ reluctance or failure to practice professional behavior has significantly challenged society’s trust in professionalism. Consistent assessment of the profession, at least through measuring the capabilities and encouraging the elimination of shortcomings, can serve as an effective tool to preserve or restore this trust. Numerous assessment methods are recommended to measure the level of professionalism among the members of the medical society. Sometimes, professionalism is defined using shared values and sometimes various lists of professional behaviors are suggested. However, no comprehensive definition has been proposed for professionalism. Professionalism is normally individual. This study sought to provide a comprehensive definition of professionalism and accordingly explains organizational professionalism. In addition, it tried to define profession assessment through a non-systematic review of online resources using Web of Science, Science Direct, and PubMed databases. Professionalism is a belief system or a driving force to create these lists to improve healthcare, according to which professionalism requires collective action. The philosophy underlying the common standards of physicians regarding the patient-physician relationship confirms the importance of teamwork and organizational professionalism. Following professional autonomy, assessment of the members of a profession is carried out via self-assessment. Meanwhile, the continuation of the self-assessment system entails patients’ trust in their physician and society’s trust in the profession of medicine. Furthermore, the medical profession should operate with more transparency, thus the society can feel that the self-assessment is  really effective. Thus, constant and dynamic self-assessment is started with the physicians and expanded through the clinical team. The profession should administer systematic professionalism in all dimensions of the health system. In addition, it should guard its self-assessment privileges obtained from society and seek the assistance of ordinary individuals in society, patients, and experts in fulfilling this task.

Introduction The present study aimed to develop core competencies and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for faculty members through participating in faculty development courses in the field of medical ethics. Methods This study included five stages. First, based on the literature review and interviews with 14 experts and through inductive content analysis, categories and subcategories were extracted. Second, content validity of the core competency list was assessed by 16 experts using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Third, based on previous phase, a framework for EPAs was developed by research taskforce in two sessions through consensus. Fourth, content validity of the list of EPAs compiled based on three-point Likert was evaluated by 11 medical ethics experts from necessity and relevance perspective. Fifth, EPAs were mapped by 10 experts to the developed core competencies. Results After literature review and interviews, 295 codes were extracted, which were further classified into six categories and 18 subcategories. Based on the validation results, five core competencies and 23 EPAs were developed that were required for faculty members in the field of medical ethics. Identified core competencies included teaching, research and scholarship in the field of medical ethics, communication skills, moral reasoning, and decision-making, policy-making and ethical leadership. Conclusion Medical teachers can be strongly effective in moralizing healthcare system, and present findings showed that faculty members should acquire extensive core competencies and EPAs for proficiently integrating medical ethics in curricula. Faculty development programs can be designed in the field of medical ethics for faculty members to help them acquire core competencies and EPAs.

Background and Objectives: Patient autonomy is a recognized principle in modern medical ethics, and truth-telling to the patient; thus, it holds special importance for its contribution to this principle. In practice, however, several challenges emerge that can lead to different responses. This difference is more marked in studies conducted in the Eastern and Muslim countries due to variations in cultural and religious beliefs. Truth-telling is a challenging concept respecting placebos, medical errors, and delivering bad news on diagnosis and treatment to patients. Methods: This study employed an unsystematic review of library and online sources, as well as databases, including Google Scholar, Springer, PubMed, Ovid, and relevant Persian papers in an attempt to provide an overview of this concept and study the Islamic view, particularly the Shi’ite perspective, and the predominant approaches employed in Muslim countries. Results: Islamic scripture and hadith strongly advocate honesty and truth-telling. However, maleficence to patients and exposing them to serious harm is unallowed, and withholding the whole or a part of the truth; even lying is justified in extreme cases. Conclusion: Essentially, the philosophy of medicine is based on helping patients and reducing their pains. Considering the unique condition of each patient, a perfect solution cannot be prescribed for all of them and the same strategy to manage all cases. The emphasis on truth-telling in the Islamic view is no less than other schools of thought. However, if disclosing the truth may expose the patient to certain, serious biopsychological risks, denying the whole or a part of the truth might be advisable; even in frequent cases, lying can be justified to protect the patient.

Introduction The present study aimed to develop core competencies and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for faculty members through participating in faculty development programs in medical ethics. Methods This study included five stages. First, categories and subcategories were extracted based on the literature review and interviews with 14 experts and through inductive content analysis. Second, the content validity of the core competency list was checked by 16 experts using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Third, based on the previous phase, a framework for EPAs was developed by the taskforce in two sessions through consensus. Fourth, the content validity of the list of EPAs was compiled based on a three-point Likert 11 medical ethics experts from necessity and relevance perspectives. Fifth, EPAs were mapped by ten experts to the developed core competencies. Results After conducting the literature review and interviews, 295 codes were extracted, which were further classified into six categories and 18 subcategories. Finally, five core competencies and 23 EPAs were developed. The core competencies include “Teaching medical ethics”, “Research and scholarship in the field of medical ethics”, “Communication skills”, “Moral reasoning”, and “Policy-making, decision-making, and ethical leadership”. Conclusion Medical teachers can be effective in the moralizing healthcare system. Findings showed that faculty members should acquire core competencies and EPAs for proficiently integrating medical ethics into curricula. Faculty development programs can be designed in medical ethics for faculty members to help them to acquire core competencies and EPAs.