Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Ethical conflicts with hospitals: the perspective of nurses and physicians
Alice Gaudine1, Sandra M LeFort, Marianne Lamb
1School of Nursing,Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. agaudine@mun.ca
Abstract:
Nurses and physicians may experience ethical conflict when there is a difference between their own values, their professional values or the values of their organization. The distribution of limited health care resources can be a major source of ethical conflict. Relatively few studies have examined nurses' and physicians' ethical conflict with organizations. This study examined the research question 'What are the organizational ethical conflicts that hospital nurses and physicians experience in their practice?' We interviewed 34 registered nurses, 10 nurse managers, and 31 physicians as part of a larger study, and asked them to describe their ethical conflicts with organizations. Through content analysis, we identified themes of nurses' and physicians' ethical conflict with organizations and compared the themes for nurses with those for physicians.
Related Concept Videos
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethical Dilemmas I
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...
Ethical Standards I
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...
Nurses' Legal Responsibilities II
Communication between nurses and patients...
Ethical Dilemmas II
Nursing Ethical Principles I
Autonomy
Autonomy underscores the significance of a patient's self-determination and freedom from external control. In healthcare, respecting the...