THE PERSPECTIVES OF FUTURE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ON BIOETHICS AND MEDICAL ETHICS EDUCATION

Abstract

This study aims to understand how medical and health-related students of Nazarbayev University assess their education in bioethics and medical ethics by understanding their perceptions towards relevance, sufficiency and practical applicability of the subject to further find potential improvement areas. Medical ethics is a discipline of right-wrong dilemmas in health care settings that influence decision-making in patient care (Montgomery, 2020; WHO, 2015). There was a gradual integration of bioethics and medical ethics into the medical curricula in Kazakhstan, starting from the initiation of the Bioethics Association in 2008 and the implementation of bioethics as an educational component (Ten Have & Gordijn, 2014). A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from a purposive sample of 96 students aged 18+ enrolled in bachelor, MD, master and PhD programs. Data collection occurred via Qualtrics from January to February 2025, with ethical approval secured from the Nazarbayev University Institutional Review Board. This study employed descriptive and inferential analysis to identify key patterns in student perceptions and evaluation of ethics education. The findings reveal that NUSOM students generally perceive their ethics education positively. However, a significant number view ethics as "just common sense," indicating a need for further research. Statistically significant differences in perceptions were observed based on age, gender, and the format of ethics education received. Higher scores were noted among students aged 25-34, females, and those who received ethics education in a single session. These results suggest that age, gender, and organizational factors influence perceptions of ethics education. To enhance ethics education in Kazakhstan, it is recommended to incorporate interdisciplinary teaching teams and increase the use of real-world case discussions.