Perioperative nursing: moral and ethical issues in high--technology practice

The caring component of perioperative nursing practice entails responsibility and accountability for nurses to identify and address the moral/ethical issues inherent in the practice. Ethical/moral issues in perioperative nursing are becoming more complex as technology becomes more sophisticated, financial resources become more restricted, and choices regarding care occur in an ambiguous environment. The practice environment must provide processes by which nurses can examine the ethical/moral choices made or to be made both to support the nurse and to increase the body of knowledge of perioperative nursing practice.