Everyday ethics: ethical issues and stress in nursing practice.
Connie M Ulrich1, Carol Taylor, Karen Soeken
1Center for Bioethics, Department of Medical Ethics, and Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, New Courtland Center for Transitions and Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. culrich@nursing.upenn.edu
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|August 26, 2010
Summary
Nurses frequently face ethical challenges, with patient rights, autonomy, and end-of-life care being most stressful. Younger nurses experience more frequent and stressful ethical issues, highlighting the need for targeted support.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Ethics
- Healthcare Professional Stress
- Patient Care
Background:
- Everyday ethical issues in nursing are often overlooked but cause significant stress.
- Nurses frequently report discomfort when addressing ethical dilemmas in patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the types, frequency, and stress levels of ethical issues faced by nurses.
- To understand the impact of nurse demographics and region on ethical issue encounters.
Main Methods:
- A 2004 survey was administered to 1000 nurses across four US census regions.
- Data from 422 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analyses.
Main Results:
- The most frequent and stressful ethical issues included protecting patient rights, autonomy, informed consent, staffing, advanced care planning, and surrogate decision-making.
- Unethical professional practices, confidentiality breaches, and end-of-life decisions were also common.
- Younger nurses and those with less experience reported higher frequency and stress levels related to ethical issues.
Conclusions:
- Nurses regularly confront ethical challenges impacting quality care delivery.
- Targeted ethics-related interventions are crucial for nurse retention, especially with complex patient populations.
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