Determining ethical sensitivity of a group of military physicians

Objective: Military physicians must face a constant competition between their professional ethics and their organizational ethics more than their civilian counterparts. The objective of this study was to measure the sensitivity of the Military Physicians regarding the ethics-related situations which they come across during patient care and treatment. Methodology: A group of physicians were selected who joined the Turkish Army for compulsory military service in December 2008. They were applied the “Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire”, which was formed by Kim Lutzen. Results: It was found that the physicians, who read the publications concerning ethics, agreed more with the “Structuring moral meaning” compared to the physicians who did not read such publications. It was also found that the physicians who came across ethical problems agreed more with following the “rules” approach. Conclusion: The physicians had high levels of autonomy with respect to patient care and treatment. Their aim was to provide benevolence for their patients; that they valued patient participation in patient care and treatment; and that they refrained from conflict and acted in collaboration