Ethical Aspects of Research in Medical Education

Abstract

Objective: Analyzing the key aspects of philosophical reflection that promote the understanding of ethics involved in the process of medical education research. Original point of departure-arrival: From ethical hermeneutics, an analytical framework is constructed with the following elements: focus, direction of gaze, and horizon of focus, which allows the convergence of medical tradition, scientific tradition, and trends in medical education.
Horizon of understanding: A cognitive-moral scheme composed of four components i.e., values, moral decision, virtues, and moral judgments, is identified. Such components are articulated and not mutually exclusive, and allow analysis of ethical issues in concrete situations in which educational research processes are carried out. Fusion of horizons: The practical problem of applying philosophical reflection to concrete cases of research on ethical problems is resolved by the rehabilitation of the deliberative model proposed by Diego Gracia.

Conclusion: Understanding educational research as a social praxis emerging from human beings stay in the world of life, rehabilitates the hermeneutics vision that accompanies the teacher, researcher and physician, and circumscribes ethical aspects in medical education research in a cognitive-moral framework that facilitates the possibility of deliberative analysis to determine the course of ethical action in research processes, and contributes in building solidarity among participants in the research process.