Awareness and knowledge of medical ethics in undergraduate medical students at Umm Al-Qura University: A cross-sectional study

Background: Medical ethics is a field that involved in human lives therefore it needs more attention. In the medical ethics education, undergraduate medical students have been reported to have distinct weakness in ethical awareness and knowledge. The aim is to evaluate the general knowledge, and perceptions of medical ethics among undergraduate medical students at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted at Umm Al-Qura University, College of Medicine, Mecca from September to October 2021. A total of 468 undergraduate medical students, ranging from 19 to 25 years have been involved in the research. An online structured questionnaire included questions about knowledge of medical ethics and consent. Results: The study results showed that undergraduate medical students' knowledge regarding medical ethics 35.5% of students demonstrated a good level of knowledge regarding medical ethics and consent. In comparison, 64.5% had a poor knowledge level. A statistically significant association showed that a good level of knowledge was detected among 38.6% of students in their clinical years compared to 30.9% of those in their pre-clinical academic years (P = 0.048). In addition, 39.2% of male students had a good knowledge level, compared to 32.3% of females (P = 0.120). About 76.7% of the participants acknowledged the importance of medical ethics. Conclusion: Medical students at UQU generally appreciate the significance of knowledge about medical ethics, and the majority showed significant variability to individual questions. In general, about a third of the participants had a great understanding of medical ethics and consent.