Medical Students' Ethical Use of Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ethical tendencies of medical faculty students, their unethical use of information and communication technologies, and their attitudes toward digital ethics in terms of certain variables. The study was designed using a relational survey model. The research group consisted of 335 medical faculty students studying at a state university in Turkey. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form," the "Ethical Tendencies Scale," Information and Communication Technologies Ethics Scale," and "Attitude towards Digital Ethics Scale." The data analysis revealed that medical faculty students' digital ethical attitudes and ethical tendencies were at a high level and positive, while their unethical use of information and communication technologies was at a very low level. The study's findings indicated that there were gender-related differences in medical students' unethical use of ICT. In addition, there were significant differences in the ethical tendencies of the participating students based on the variable of year of study. Lastly, medical students' unethical use of information and communication technologies were significantly affected by their ethical tendencies and attitudes towards digital ethics.