COVID-19 and Virtual Medical Education: A Correlational Study of Attitudes Towards e- learning, Perceived Stress, and Ethics among Faculty Members of Medical Universities in the Southern Region of Iran

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid shift to virtual education in medical universities, creating challenges for faculty due to a lack of preparedness, ethical concerns, and increased stress. This study examines the relationship between faculty attitudes toward e-learning, perceived stress, and ethical considerations in virtual medical education at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-correlational design study with a census sampling was employed to recruit 120 faculty members from Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. The faculty members were selected based on pre-established inclusion criteria and recruited between November and March 2023. The participants were provided with a link to the Google Forms questionnaire via their mobile phones, which they used to complete sections on faculty attitudes towards e-learning, perceived stress according to the Cohen scale, and the application of ethics in virtual education. In all cases, a significance level of less than 0.05 was employed. The data were analyzed using the statistical software package SPSS, version 20. Results : A positive correlation was identified between attitudes toward e-learning and the ethical application of virtual education among faculty members (β = 0.279, p < 0.05). Nevertheless, no statistically significant correlation was observed between attitudes toward e-learning and its domains and perceived stress among faculty members (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study found a positive association between faculty attitudes towards e-learning and their ethical application of virtual education, suggesting that positive views on virtual education may lead to better ethical practices. However, no correlation was found between attitudes toward e-learning and perceived stress levels, indicating that positive attitudes do not necessarily mitigate stress. Further research is needed to explore factors contributing to faculty stress in virtual settings and develop strategies to promote positive attitudes and competencies while addressing stress concerns.