title: Are tomorrow's doctors aware of the code of medical ethics?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the awareness of the 'ethical code of conduct for medical practitioners' among medical undergraduate students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care medical college and hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study covered 172 medical students in a private medical school in Pondicherry, located in southern India. They were administered a questionnaire, containing ten scenarios, which was based on the 'medical code of ethics' as set out in the chapters on 'unethical acts' and 'misconduct' of the Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002. The students were given the option of responding with a 'yes,' 'no' or 'don't know.'
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 128 (74.4%) of the 172 medical undergraduates enrolled in the study returned the completed questionnaire. None of them answered all the questions correctly. The overall mean score was 6.13 out of 10, with an SD of 1.36. There were no significant differences between second-, third- or final-year students. There was no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. Most of the students erred in scenarios related to decision-making and communication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are major deficiencies in the understanding of medical ethics among medical undergraduates. Including medical ethics as a mandatory and separate subject in the first few years of under graduation can help students understand and follow ethical principles.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Osudu, Agaram, Puducherry, 605 502 INDIA email: babuarun@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arun Babu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Venkatesh
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharmila
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004992:Ethics, Medical / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male