O'Byrne Lorcan, Gavin Blánaid, McNicholas Fiona
School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, SMMS, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
J Med Ethics. 2020 Sep;46(9):623-626. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106353. Epub 2020 Jun 3.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted unprecedented global disruption. For medical schools, this has manifested as examination and curricular restructuring as well as significant changes to clinical attachments. With the available evidence suggesting that medical students' mental health status is already poorer than that of the general population, with academic stress being a chief predictor, such changes are likely to have a significant effect on these students. In addition, there is an assumption that these students are an available resource in terms of volunteerism during a crisis. This conjecture should be questioned; however, as those engaging in such work without sufficient preparation are susceptible to moral trauma and adverse health outcomes. This, in conjunction with the likelihood of future pandemics, highlights the need for 'pandemic preparedness' to be embedded in the medical curriculum.
新冠疫情引发了前所未有的全球混乱。对医学院校而言，这表现为考试和课程结构的调整以及临床实习的重大变化。现有证据表明，医学生的心理健康状况本就比普通人群更差，学业压力是主要预测因素，此类变化很可能对这些学生产生重大影响。此外，有一种假设认为，在危机期间，这些学生是志愿服务的可用资源。然而，这种推测值得质疑，因为那些没有充分准备就从事此类工作的人容易遭受道德创伤和不良健康后果。这一点，再加上未来可能发生疫情的可能性，凸显了将“疫情防范”纳入医学课程的必要性。
