Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Ethical Issues

Ethical Issues

Nurses are essential in patient care, upholding the ethical principles of their profession and effectively navigating ethical dilemmas. Neglecting ethical issues can lead to inadequate patient care, compromised therapeutic relationships, and moral distress among healthcare workers.
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:

Ethical Dilemmas II

Ethical Dilemmas II

Resolving an ethical dilemma in healthcare involves a systematic approach that considers every aspect of the issue, respecting both the patient's needs and values and the healthcare professional's ethical obligations. Here are potential steps to resolve an ethical dilemma:

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal consequences. In Stage...

Ethics and Bioethics

Ethics and Bioethics

Ethics is a philosophical study of moral actions. Ethics attempts to determine what is valuable for individuals and society. It examines the rational justification of moral judgments and analyzes what is morally just, fair, and right. Bioethics is a sub-discipline of applied ethics that analyzes the philosophical, social, and legal issues in life sciences and medicine. Ethical theories serve as a foundation for decision-making and represent the viewpoints from which people seek direction. They...

Obedience

Obedience

According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation, obedience...

Ethical Dilemmas I

Ethical Dilemmas I

Ethical dilemmas in nursing are of utmost importance, as they often arise from the tension between adhering to core ethical principles and the practical realities of healthcare delivery. These dilemmas require nurses to navigate complex situations where competing ethical considerations pull them in different directions.
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Family members' perspectives of hope when supporting a relative experiencing mental health problems.

International journal of mental health nursing·2023

Same author

Research priorities for exacerbations of COPD.

The Lancet. Respiratory medicine·2021

Same author

Visitor restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic: An ethical case study.

Nursing ethics·2021

Same author

Ethical frameworks for quality improvement activities: an analysis of international practice.

International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care·2020

Same author

Covid-19: Ethical Challenges for Nurses.

The Hastings Center report·2020

Same author

The Role, Education, and Experience of Health Care Assistants in End-of-Life Care in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review.

Journal of gerontological nursing·2020

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Moral distress reconsidered.

Joan McCarthy¹, Rick Deady

¹School of Nursing and Midwifery, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, Cork, Republic of Ireland. j.mccarthy@ucc.ie

|February 15, 2008

Summary

Moral distress, a significant issue in nursing, requires a broader understanding beyond prevalence. This study advocates for a multidisciplinary approach to address moral challenges faced by all healthcare professionals.

Area of Science:

Nursing Ethics
Healthcare Professional Well-being
Bioethics

Background:

Moral distress is increasingly recognized in international nursing literature.
The concept has evolved from philosophical delineation to an umbrella term for moral constraints impacting healthcare.
Current research often focuses narrowly on prevalence among nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

To trace the conceptual evolution of moral distress in nursing theory.
To critique the current portrayal and research limitations of moral distress.
To propose a more inclusive and multidisciplinary framework for understanding moral distress.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of moral distress in nursing literature.
Review of theoretical developments and research trends.

More Related Videos

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM): An Onsite Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) for Chronically High Stress Work Environments to Increase Resiliency and Work Engagement

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM): An Onsite Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) for Chronically High Stress Work Environments to Increase Resiliency and Work Engagement

Published on: July 1, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM): An Onsite Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) for Chronically High Stress Work Environments to Increase Resiliency and Work Engagement

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM): An Onsite Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) for Chronically High Stress Work Environments to Increase Resiliency and Work Engagement

Published on: July 1, 2015

Argument for a broader, multidisciplinary perspective.

Main Results:

The concept of moral distress has expanded significantly in nursing discourse.
Existing research on moral distress is criticized for its limited scope, primarily focusing on prevalence.
A need for a more comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach is identified.

Conclusions:

Reconsideration and reconstruction of the moral distress concept are necessary.
A multidisciplinary approach is essential for understanding moral judgments in complex healthcare situations.
The experiences of all healthcare professionals facing moral dilemmas warrant further investigation.