Nursing students' ethical decision-making: a review of the literature

Research into education in ethical decision-making in nursing is scarce. This review is an overview of empirical literature published between 1980 and September 2006. The literature was retrieved from the Medline and CINAHL databases. The focus is on the methodology and findings of these studies for identifying knowledge gaps for further research. The methodological approaches and foci of the studies varied rendering the comparison and generalization of the findings difficult. The findings indicate that education has a positive impact on students' moral development. Future research should focus on educators and clinical instructors, and on the cooperation between theoretical and clinical instruction. A review of the theoretical scientific literature would provide valuable knowledge as well. Research in this area might also benefit from more context appreciating qualitative research as well as from the use of longitudinal research designs. Research projects at national and international level should be considered.