Assessment of bioethics education, ethical awareness, and training needs among physicians in Jordan.

Abstract

Teaching bioethics contributes to promoting sound clinical decisions, but a research gap persists in Jordan regarding the ethical challenges facing physicians and their training requirements. This cross-sectional online survey assessed bioethics education, ethical awareness, perceived competence, and ethical practices among physicians practicing in Jordan. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed using convenience sampling through social media, professional networks, and medical associations. A total of 559 physicians participated. Most respondents were male (59.4%), aged 26-30 years (47.8%), and medical graduates from Jordan (83.5%). Although 64.2% reported at least 3 credit hours of ethics education, only 45.3% reported awareness of the four core bioethical principles. Most participants reported being able to identify ethical issues (83.5%) and to find answers to ethical dilemmas at least sometimes (84.4%). Ethical challenges were most often reported in relation to traditions and values (57.8%), law (53.1%), religion (52.6%), finance (51.7%), and conflict of interest (50.1%). Participants expressed strong interest in additional training, particularly treatment refusal, informed consent, diagnosis/prognosis communication, and end-of-life care. Findings suggest a need for practice-oriented, culturally grounded, and continuing bioethics education that links foundational principles to common clinical dilemmas. Education should develop case-based reasoning, reflective clinical judgment, and communication skills rather than terminology recognition alone.