La integridad académica: el dilema de la formación médica

Academic integrity is one of the main purposes of high quality education. However, the phenomenon of academic dishonesty is a growing problem at the global level that has become more sophisticated due to new information and communication technologies. This paper addresses the issue of academic dishonesty in the context of teaching medicine, its causes, modalities, predisposing factors and strategies for prevention, detection, and punishment. Academic dishonesty is a multi-causal phenomenon in which factors related to the environment and moral culture, personal factors, hidden curriculum, institutional policies, as well as teaching models based on academic results, rather than the collaborative learning process. Within the dishonest practices, we can mention plagiarism, collusion, falsification, deception, and impersonation. Academic dishonesty generates consequences for students, teachers, institutions, the
educational system, the medical profession, and society because it is the role of educational institutions not only the production of competent technicians but also responsible citizens. The present paper proposes some strategies to face this problem, such as the evaluation of moral development upon admission to academic programs and their supervision during the training process, among others