Medical education: Knowledge, skills and attitude.

' taxonomy is a time honoured component of medical education. It comprises of 6 levels, but the fundamental 3 elements of the triangle of education are Knowledge, skills and attitude. Much is written about the Knowledge and skills but very little about the third dimension of medical education called attitude i.e. ethics. Medical knowledge and skills were transferred through long associations between the master and the pupil, since almost the times of Galen and Hippocrates. A process of osmosis, percolation and absorption enabled the pupil to become a teacher in his time. Besides, he also acquired the basic bed side manners such as greeting the patient, listening to him attentively, and offering the best advice to help him. Any Good Samaritan would be expected to do the same albeit the physician has the privilege of being a Hakim, the wise one. The life was peaceful and the profession did not have to face many formidable challenges .The doctor knew it best .The paternalistic approach worked well. It was a time of mutual trust and understanding. However, with the explosion of knowledge and advancement of technology, the physician is now exposed to an ever growing myriad of ethical dilemmas; particularly so in a multicultural society like Britain. Internet and the search engines have educated the beneficiary as much as the benefactor. Formal teaching of medical ethics in the UK is a relatively new phenomenon. Universities are actively engaged in identifying the relevant teaching material as indeed the appropriate tools. An essential component of the GMC's document called Tomorrow's Doctor has now gained its due place. Patients from different cultural backgrounds expect to be dealt with in conformity with their norms and practices. Social Anthropology is a fascinating subject. It's impact on daily life of a colourful society are visible in all spheres of life. The debate of morality being universal or relative is fascinating. But that is for another time. There are many examples of the impact of diverse culture on bioethics. In today's clinical practice an English man, a Welsh , a Scot or an Irish likes to know every fact personally, about the problem, plan of treatment, risks and complications ,alternate therapies etc. He alone makes an informed decision on all matters of his illness. A South East Asian patient, on the other hand often reverts to the family patriarch. The Afro-Caribbean communities on the other hand are very …