Ethical issues in cancer care: beyond dilemma

Both the nurse and the patient express their confidence in each other and in themselves when they bind each other in a trusting dialogue. The patient must explore and come to understand what his life in its altered form has become. Like Job, he may rail against his evil fortune, bring anger and despair, or find new sources of belief; but however he experiences his predicament, it must be on his own terms. The nurse, having chosen to nurse, tests again and again the integrity of her moral commitment. The patient is never made to feel diminished. His selfhood is cherished and sustained as best it can be. The sanctity of his life finds nourishment in the respect with which he is treated. Every nursing activity, however ordinary, must always be offered with dignity, honesty, and loving compassion. Finally, it is in the everyday exchanges between people that the best expressions of moral responsibility are recorded. In the higher task of nursing the sick, that is the ultimate measure of success.