Moral Sensitivity and Beliefs in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Background Apart from healthcare concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic has also brought up ethical challenges. This study aimed to shed light on one of the ethical questions regarding medical students' responsibilities during the current pandemic. Methods An online anonymous questionnaire was applied to ask Iranian stagers and interns about their demographics and beliefs toward ethical responsibilities during the pandemic. Data were gathered in two phases; before and after COVID-19 vaccination. The SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. Results At the end of the study, 95 and 264 students participated in the first and second phases, respectively. The mean moral sensitivity score was 38.11 ± 4.88 in the first phase and 35.39 ± 4.9 in the second phase (p-value < 0.001). Among the participating students, 60 (63.2%) believed that it is their ethical responsibility to contribute to patient care at the hospital. The majority of students believed it was their ethical responsibility to contribute to the management of patients during the pandemic at both phases (63% and 71%, p-value = 0.15). In the multivariate analysis, age and ethical responsibility were related to moral sensitivity in the first phase. Age, sex, being worried about getting COVID-19, and ethical responsibility had a relationship with moral sensitivity score. Conclusion The moral sensitivity of medical students had a relationship with their belief in ethical responsibility. To improve moral reasoning and moral motivation, the adaptation of the medical ethics course with new challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizing their usefulness at the hospital during the crisis could be helpful.