CABGs and KINGS: relevance and realism in the teaching of clinical ethics in Camberwell.

The author describes and evaluates two methods developed and used over a ten-year period at London's King's College Hospital Medical School to teach clinical ethics to medical students. One method included an eight-part course as part of the regular "Topic Teaching" lecture series; the other approach enlarged the scope of small discussion groups conducted by general practice physicians on the teaching wards. Higgs, Director of General Practice at the School, concludes that small group teaching appears to be the better method to encourage ethical questioning, to provoke debate, to allow students to see teacher uncertainty, and to help students assume the professional role without losing sight of the patient's viewpoint.