The effect of deliberative process on the self-sacrificial decisions of utilitarian healthcare students.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted prosocial behavior as a professional healthcare core competency. Although medical students are expected to work in the best interests of their patients, in the pandemic context, there is a greater need for ethical attention to be paid to the way medical students deal with moral dilemmas that may conflict with their obligations. METHODS: This study was conducted in the spring semester of 2019 on 271 students majoring in health professions: medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. All participants provided informed consent and completed measures that assessed utilitarian moral views, cognitive reflections, cognitive reappraisal, and moral judgment. RESULTS: The healthcare-affiliated students who scored higher on the instrumental harm subscale in the measurement of utilitarian moral views were more likely to endorse not only other-sacrificial actions but also self-sacrificial ones for the greater good in moral dilemma scenarios. In particular, those engaged in deliberative processes tended to make more self-sacrificial judgments. The mediation analysis also revealed that the effect of deliberative processes on self-sacrificial judgments was mediated by cognitive reappraisal. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that cognitive reappraisal through deliberative processes is involved when the students with utilitarian inclination make prosocial decisions, that it is necessary to consider both moral views and emotional regulation when admitting candidates, and that moral education programs are needed in the healthcare field.

Effect of digital divide on people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced social inequality in marginalized groups. People with disabilities (PWD) are particularly restricted in their activities and lives due to the pandemic and experiencing more difficulties than the general population. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the extent of the digital divide between PWD and people without disabilities (PWOD) during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. METHODS: This study relied on the cross-sectional secondary data from the 2020 Digital Divide Survey conducted in Korea. We performed a series of bivariate analyses on the data of 5575 PWOD and 1781 PWD (18-69 years old) to compare Internet usage and various types of digital services related to the pandemic. RESULTS: We identified significant differences between PWOD and PWD in their Internet usage change during the pandemic. A higher number of PWD reported that their Internet usage with both computers and mobile devices remained similar to the pre-pandemic period while that of PWOD reported that their Internet usage via the same has increased. Significant gaps were found in the usage change of the five digital services with the largest gap in that of social networking services between PWOD and PWD. Further, PWOD were likelier to be aware of, utilize, and perceive the usefulness of digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic including application, information, delivery, and subscription services. CONCLUSION: To ensure better post-pandemic outcomes for marginalized groups including PWD, the governments and authority agencies must facilitate digital access and services with appropriate accommodations needed by those populations.