This study aims to systematize the state-of-the-art in bioethics courses in Brazilian undergraduate medical education, based on papers published in congress proceedings from the Brazilian Society of Bioethics, the Brazilian Association of Medical Education, and Rede Unida, and in the journals Bioética, Revista Brasileira de Bioética, Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica, and Olho Mágico for the years 2000 to 2005, and to identify bioethical concepts, methods, and premises adopted in the above-mentioned material. Bioethics is situated between the fields of medical education and medical practice, two social practices that must engage in permanent dialogue. Thus, Competence-Based Pedagogy and the notions of competence and autonomy as the basis and theoretical categories, respectively, provide the support for understanding the inclusion of bioethics in undergraduate medical education, as a possibility for innovation in the curriculum.
Medical Education; Education; Curricular Innovation; Bioethics; Professional Competence; Personal Autonomy