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In Brazil, scientific research is carried out mainly at universities, where professors coordinate research projects with the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students. However, there is no formal program for the teaching/learning of the scientific method. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the comprehension of the scientific method by students of health sciences who participate in scientific projects in an academic research laboratory. An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Edgar Morin complexity as theoretical reference. In a semi-structured interview, students were asked to solve an abstract logical puzzle - TanGram. The collected data were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectic analysis method proposed by Minayo and discussed in terms of the theoretical reference of complexity. The students’ concept of the scientific method is limited to participation in projects, stressing the execution of practical procedures as opposed to scientific thinking. The solving of the TanGram puzzle revealed that the students had difficulties in understanding questions and activities focused on subjects and their processes. Objective answers, even when dealing with personal issues, were also reflected on the students’ opinions about the characteristics of a successful researcher. Students’ difficulties concerning these issues may affect their scientific performance and result in poorly designed experiments. This is a preliminary study that should be extended to other centers of scientific research.

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In Brazil, scientific research is carried out mainly at universities, where professors coordinate research projects with the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students. However, there is no formal program for the teaching/learning of the scientific method. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the comprehension of the scientific method by students of health sciences who participate in scientific projects in an academic research laboratory. An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Edgar Morin complexity as theoretical reference. In a semi-structured interview, students were asked to solve an abstract logical puzzle - TanGram. The collected data were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectic analysis method proposed by Minayo and discussed in terms of the theoretical reference of complexity. The students' concept of the scientific method is limited to participation in projects, stressing the execution of practical procedures as opposed to scientific thinking. The solving of the TanGram puzzle revealed that the students had difficulties in understanding questions and activities focused on subjects and their processes. Objective answers, even when dealing with personal issues, were also reflected on the students' opinions about the characteristics of a successful researcher. Students' difficulties concerning these issues may affect their scientific performance and result in poorly designed experiments. This is a preliminary study that should be extended to other centers of scientific research.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate moral development as an indicator of the capacity to consent among two groups of patients from the Hospital de Clínicas in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. METHOD: Fifty-nine adolescents and 60 patients over 60 years of age participated in a cross-sectional study to assess moral development using Loevinger's model of ego stages. RESULTS: Age and moral development showed no association, with most participants in the two groups being in the conscientious phase. CONCLUSIONS: Age is probably not an adequate variable to measure decision-making capacity, because questions of medical consent relate to participants' own personal health. Decision-making capacity should be viewed as a continuous function. While the age of the person whose consent is needed should be considered, age alone, from a moral perspective, is not the main determinant of this capacity.

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O fisioterapeuta como todo profisional da saude que toma decisoes diante de situacoes de incerteza, esta sujeiro a se deparar com dilemas eticos. Um dilema etico e uma situacao na qual um profissional da saude se depara com duas alternativas de tratamento ou conducao do caso que tenham justificativas tecnicas, mas com algum questionamento moral ou social. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os tipos de dilemas eticos presentes na pratica do fisioterapeuta. Foi realizado um estudo transversal, tipo `survey`, com uma amostra de fisioterapeutas que trabaljam em Porto Alegre. Para isso encaminhamos pelo correio uma carta informativa e um questionario. Os dados obtidos foram comparados com um estudo ingles semelhante realizado por Barnitt. Obteve-se retorno de 37 (5,7 por cento), com a exclusao de 13 (35,0 por cento) por nao se tratar de questoes envolvendo dilemas eticos. A classificacao dos dilemas de acordo om os principios foi casual, apesar de as categorias autonomia, beneficencia e justica terem sido discriminadas no proprio material informativo. Quanto as situacoes dos dilemas, obtivemos as seguintes respostas: 37,5 por cento relativas ao limite de atuacao profissional, 25,0 por cento trataram da falta de recursos, e 4,2 por cento referentes ao nao dizer a verdade, 4,2 por cento sobre a eficiencia da terapia e 29,2 por cento dos fisioterapeutas relataram nao ter se deparado com ituacoes referentes a dilemas eticos durante sua atuacao proissional. O baixo indice de retorno dos questionarios compomete a validade externa do trabalho. Contudo, com base nos dados obtidos com a presente amostra, estabelecemos algumas considracoes. As questoes predominantes foram relativas as tomadas de decisoes do dia-a-dia. A baixa taxa de devolucao e o alto indice de respostas inadequadas podem indicar o pouco envolvimento dos profissionais, a pouca compreensao dos objetivos da pesquisa ou a falta de habito de reflexao etica. Ja o alto indice de ausencia de dilemas eticos surpreendeu os autores do presente trabalho, uma vez que o fisioterapeuta tem contato direto com seu paciente, seu sofrimento e desconforto e e um profissional da saude que toma decisoes diante de situacoes de incerteza. As informacoes obtidas demonstram a necessidade de realizacao de mais estudos nessa area

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PURPOSE: The objective of this paper is to discuss ethical issues such as data protection, confidentiality, and patient freedom taking two ongoing studies as examples. METHODS: The two studies are being carried out at a public hospital in southern Brazil. Study 1 evaluates inadequate use of drugs (mainly vancomycin) and aims at reviewing criteria for drug use control. It includes records of 100 patients whose prescriptions are dispensed at the hospital's pharmacy. A major ethical concern in this study was to ensure data confidentiality. Study 2 evaluates treatment adherence by hypertension patients with a focus on hydrochlorothiazide. Here, in addition to data protection, a major ethical concern was the ability of patients to understand the informed consent form and therefore freely enter or refuse to enter the study. Both projects were approved by the Institutional Review Board at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. RESULTS: In both studies, data confidentiality is ensured by the removal of all personal information from the forms used for data analysis. In Study 2, readability of the informed consent was considered adequate by the IRB for the population served by the clinic, and one-third of the patients who were contacted agreed to participate in the study. CONCLUSIONS: To obtain reliable results, basic ethical principles must be observed throughout the planning and execution of research projects, whether data are obtained from medical records or from actual interaction with patients. Thus, monitoring by an Institutional Review Board or equivalent is of paramount importance.

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of infection versus the prevalence of contamination in infants less than 60 days old who had blood cultures positive for CoNS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between February and June - 1993, a number of 45 blood cultures positive for CoNS from 41 patients were studied. Patients were classified in three groups according to their clinical and laboratorial data: I- infected patients, II- non-infected patients and III- dubious. RESULTS: The results showed that 11 patients (26.8%) were included in group I, 25 (61%) in group II (contaminated blood cultures), and 5 (12.2%) in group III. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that more than one blood culture should be requested before treatment with antimicrobials, avoiding unnecessary administration of antibiotics.

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