In medical ethics, the issue of inexperience (failure to meet standard of conduct), recklessness, and negligence involves the notion of legal liability, suggesting that medical error has a threefold definition based on financial, criminal, and ethical liability. This study analyzes 18 of the 26 course curricula in medicine authorized or accredited by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and offered by institutions of higher learning in the State of Minas Gerais with the aim of identifying the supply of courses related to medical liability, ethics, bioethics, and deontology. Of these curricula, eight fail to provide public access to the course contents as established by Ministry of Education Ruling no. 2.864 of August 24, 2005, and six offer no specific course on ethics, bioethics, or liability. Only nine schools provide courses on ethics, eight on bioethics, and three on deontology. None of the curricula offered any course content on medical liability, although malpractice suits have become increasingly widespread in Minas Gerais.
Damage Liability; Ethics; Education, Medical; Medical Errors; Bioethics; Schools, Medical
