Exploring the perceived medical ethics and law training needs of UK foundation doctors

Foundation doctors (FDs) encounter a wide range of ethical and legal issues during their first two years of work. Despite ethics being a key part of most modern undergraduate curricula, FDs can struggle with the issues they see. This study is based on results from an on-line survey answered by 479 UK FDs regarding their medical law and ethics learning needs, and their undergraduate training in this area. Over two-thirds stated they would wish to receive MEL training as an FD on self-discharge against medical advice (similar to 71%), sedating patients (similar to 70%), decision making in emergency medicine (similar to 67%), and withholding and withdrawing treatment (similar to 66%). Over half of all respondents want MEL training during their Foundation Programme on DNACPR orders (similar to 63%), dealing with patients with suicidal intent (similar to 59%), Mental Health Act (similar to 55%), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (similar to 54%), and end of life care (similar to 53%). We therefore propose a minimum curriculum for ethics and law training for FDs based on these topics, as well as cases brought by the FDs themselves.