Background: Traditional lecture-based medical ethics and law courses deliver knowledge but may not improve students’ learning motivation. To bridge this theory-to-practice gap and facilitate students’ learning effectiveness, we applied situated-learning theory to design an interdisciplinary court-based learning (CBL) component within the curriculum. Our study aimed to investigate students’ learning feedbacks and propose a creative course design.Methods: A total of 135 fourth-year medical students participated in this course. The CBL component included 1 h of introduction, 1 h of court attendance, and 2 h of interdisciplinary discussion with senior physicians, judges, and prosecutors. After the class, we conducted a survey using a mixed-methods approach to gauge students’ perceptions of engagement, performance, and satisfaction.Results: A total of 97 questionnaires were received (72% response rate). Over 70% of respondents were satisfied and felt that the class was useful except for role-playing activities (60%). More than 60% reported a better understanding of the practical applications of medical law. Approximately half (54%) reported less anxiety about medical disputes. 73% reported that the lecture provided awareness of potential medical disputes, and most respondents expressed an interest in medical law courses after the court visit (78%). 80% of the respondents were able to display empathy and apply mediation skills. Qualitative analyses showed that students demonstrated new knowledge, including recognizing the significance of the medical profession, distinguishing the importance of physician-patient communication, having confidence in the fairness of the justice system, and being willing to increase their legal knowledge.Conclusions: CBL curriculum increases students’ learning motivation in strengthening medical professionalism and medical law, develops students’ empathy for patients and communication skills, as well as builds up students’ trust in the justice system. This novel course design can be applied to teach medical ethics and law.

Wan-Ting Chen, Yi-Wei Yeh, Shin-Chang Kuo, Yi-Chih Shiao, Chih-Chung Huang, Yi-Guang Wang, Chun-Yen Chen. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci 2025;23:161-5. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.24.1193

The proportion of women in higher education in Taiwan has gradually increased, mirrored by a steady rise in female medical graduates. This study analyzed gender ratios among graduates with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Western medicine, Chinese medicine, and dentistry from 2007 to 2022, using data from the Taiwan Medical Association. In Western medicine, females accounted for 33.0% of bachelor’s, 47.9% of master’s, and 29.3% of doctoral graduates. In Chinese medicine, the figures were 43.7%, 54.3%, and 33.8%, respectively. Dentistry approached gender parity, with females comprising 43.0% of bachelor’s, 51.0% of master’s, and 37.6% of doctoral graduates. Statistically significant increases in female graduates were noted over time for most levels in Western and Chinese medicine, but not in dentistry. Regional analysis showed persistent male predominance in all regions, though significant increases in female graduates were present in northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan. Although these results indicate progress in gender equality within medical education, substantial disparities remain. Ongoing efforts should address institutional and cultural barriers to ensure true equity in both training and professional advancement.

Objectives To establish a training programme to cultivate trainee mediation skills through time investment, skill incorporation and formation of in-house mediation services. Design A four-round consensus conference was conducted by a number of seasoned experts selected in the manner of purposive sampling to determine core competences and relevant curricula through the modified Delphi process. Setting Responses collected from enrolled experts through four rounds of the Delphi process from 11 November 2018 to 17 May 2019. Participants Onboard seasoned mediators with different specialties. Outcome measures Items with a median rating of 4 or more on a Likert scale of 1–7 points and 70% or more in agreement were identified as core competence and curricula. Results Eleven enrolled experts reached the consensus about the training syllabus based on the 4-round agreement with four pillars of core competence, including ‘knowledge base of law’, ‘internalisation of the denotative and connotative meanings of care’, ‘effective, smooth and timely communication’ and ‘conflict resolution’. To grasp the dynamics and diversity of medical disputes on target, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge and skills. We arrange our course in the order of teaching materials with pure didactics in the former two and with mixed contents comprising lectures and field exercises in the rest two. Conclusions The sample developed a syllabus to train apprentices to take intermediate responses to medical disputes through the skills of conflict resolution and establishment of effective communication to improve the relationship between patients/relatives and medical staff, as a result of eventually reducing the conversion rate from dispute into litigation or alternative pathway. Policy-makers in healthcare and top management in healthcare institutions can use this syllabus to guide their future education and training programme.