[Acute care nurses’ ethical reasoning: a thematic analysis].
- Barandun Schäfer U 1 Medizinische Querschnittsfunktionen, Operative Intensivbehandlung, Universitätsspital Basel, Schweiz.
- Ulrich A 2 Bereich Medizin, Universitätsspital Basel, Schweiz.
- Meyer-Zehnder B 3 Departement Anästhesie, Universitätsspital Basel, Schweiz.
- Frei IA 4 Abteilung Praxisentwicklung Pflege/MTT, Universitätsspital Basel, Schweiz.
- 2015-11-19
Published in:
- Pflege. - 2015
Ethische Reflexion
Pflege
Pflegeethik
clinical ethics
nursing care
nursing ethics
pflegerischer Verantwortungsbereich
qualitative Befragung
qualitative research
Acute Disease
Attitude of Health Personnel
Cooperative Behavior
Ethics, Nursing
Focus Groups
Hierarchy, Social
Humans
Interdisciplinary Communication
Nurse's Role
Nurse-Patient Relations
Nursing Care
Physician-Nurse Relations
Switzerland
English
BACKGROUND
In the day-to-day course of nursing, ethical issues are being openly articulated to a growing extent. However, nurses only rarely systematically address these issues. This subject was explored in interviews with professionals who have a particular focus on ethics.
OBJECTIVE
Gain input for further developing the skills of nursing staff in ethical reasoning.
METHOD
In two focus groups and four individual interviews, we questioned 14 professionals, including nine nurses, who have a special interest in ethics.
RESULTS
Nurses find it ethically problematic when the wishes of patients are not respected or something is forced on them, creating the impression that the care being given is exacerbating rather than alleviating the patient’s suffering. These problematic aspects are often overlooked because the consequences of the action in question are not immediately apparent. Ethical issues in nursing are often addressed in informal, non-systematic discussions among nursing staff. Nurses actively and confidently engage in discussions on treatment goals, and the teamwork with doctors is usually experienced as being based on mutual respect and partnership. The inherent hierarchical role differences between nursing and medical staff nevertheless manifest in ethical issues.
CONCLUSION
Through the practical application of ethical reasoning in day-to-day nursing, structured discussions of the ethical aspects of cases and dedicated further education, nurses should learn to better recognise ethical issues in nursing and effectively analyse them and find solutions.
In the day-to-day course of nursing, ethical issues are being openly articulated to a growing extent. However, nurses only rarely systematically address these issues. This subject was explored in interviews with professionals who have a particular focus on ethics.
OBJECTIVE
Gain input for further developing the skills of nursing staff in ethical reasoning.
METHOD
In two focus groups and four individual interviews, we questioned 14 professionals, including nine nurses, who have a special interest in ethics.
RESULTS
Nurses find it ethically problematic when the wishes of patients are not respected or something is forced on them, creating the impression that the care being given is exacerbating rather than alleviating the patient’s suffering. These problematic aspects are often overlooked because the consequences of the action in question are not immediately apparent. Ethical issues in nursing are often addressed in informal, non-systematic discussions among nursing staff. Nurses actively and confidently engage in discussions on treatment goals, and the teamwork with doctors is usually experienced as being based on mutual respect and partnership. The inherent hierarchical role differences between nursing and medical staff nevertheless manifest in ethical issues.
CONCLUSION
Through the practical application of ethical reasoning in day-to-day nursing, structured discussions of the ethical aspects of cases and dedicated further education, nurses should learn to better recognise ethical issues in nursing and effectively analyse them and find solutions.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- bronze
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1024/1012-5302/a000457
- PMID 26580425
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/231959
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