CURRENT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION AND PRACTICE OF MEDICAL LAW AND ETHICS AMONG NIGERIAN MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS

Introduction Medical law and ethics, as integral to medical curriculum, is at its embryonic stage in most developing countries, including Nigeria. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge, perception and practice of medical ethics, among medical doctors in secondary health care facilities in Kaduna Metropolis, North-Western Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional study involving the total population of medical doctors in 9 secondary health care institutions in Kaduna Metropolis was conducted, using a self-administered questionnaire to obtain information on knowledge, perception and practices of medical law and ethics. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and associations were tested using Chi-square test. Results A total of 78 medical doctors participated in the study. Undergraduate training (63/78, 80.8%) was the predominant source of knowledge about medical ethics. Only 26/78 (33.3%) of respondents were able to correctly define medical ethics. Medical ethics was considered to be very essential for the practice of medicine by 77/78 (98.8%) of respondents. Only 24/78 (31%) of respondents always obtained informed consent from their patients and 43/78 (55.1%) of respondents reported to have ever been faced with ethical problems, of which more than half 23/43(53.5%) of them felt unable to handle it. Conclusion: Medical ethics was considered essential for medical practice but the knowledge and practice of medical ethics was inadequate among doctors. There is a need to institute remedial measures that will enhance training methods in medical ethics.