Ethical Sensitivity of Physicians in the Discipline of Orthopedics and Traumatology: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

ABS TRACT The present study was conducted to determine the ethi- cal sensitivity of physicians in the discipline of orthopedics and traumatology. The study, conducted between March and April 2020, followed a cross-sectional design and included 234 physicians. Although sampling was not performed, physicians in the discipline of ortho- pedics and traumatology who complied with the selection criteria constituted the sample. Data collection was performed using an online form. Necessary permissions were obtained to conduct the study. The average age of all participants was 37.27±7.92 years. Of the partici- pants, 96.6% were male. Further, 50.5% of the participants were specialist orthopedic physicians and 85.5% were willingly employed. Of the participants, 68.4% stated that they received ethics training during their academic life and 70.9% stated that they received no ethics trai- ning during their professional life. Of the participants, 52.1% stated that they had knowledge about ethics, 62.4% stated that they experien- ced ethical dilemmas and 36.8% stated that they had resolved the ethical dilemma they encountered. The total mean score for physicians in the discipline of orthopedics and traumatology on the Ethical Sensitivity Scale was 89.70±17.00. In addition, ethical sensitivity was higher for physicians who had an academic title and over 5 years of experience in the discipline of orthopedics and traumatology, who were willingly employed, who had received ethics training, and who had independently resolved an ethical dilemma. It is thought that these findings can be used to develop models based on an holistic ethical approach, espe-cially for physicians in the discipline of orthopedics and traumatology.