Development of an ethics education curriculum for critical care trainees in Canada: from knowledge synthesis to bedside application

Abstract

Intensivists require a specialized approach to learning and managing complex bioethical issues due to the immediacy, uncertainty and gravity of medical decisions made when caring for the critically ill. A systematic examination of the literature and solicited feedback from experienced Intensivists has demonstrated that the knowledge and skill required to understand and navigate complex bioethical dilemmas is not often taught with the rigor necessary for independent clinical practice. This prompted us to design a bioethics curriculum for adult critical care medicine trainees to fill a significant void in ethics knowledge and reasoning within critical care training. The curriculum consists of six self-learning, online, case-based modules, and interactive group discussions. It is to be integrated into an existing Critical Care Academic Half Day schedule and completed over a 1–2 year period. This paper presents a detailed explication of the problem, and puts forward our developed solution – a comprehensive bioethics curriculum.