Moral Ecology in Nursing: A Pluralistic Approach

Area of Science:

• Nursing Ethics
• Bioethics
• Moral Philosophy

Background:

• Nurses function as moral agents within intricate social systems, necessitating a strong ethical foundation.
• Accountability for nursing actions underscores the importance of ethical decision-making in practice.
• Diverse ethical frameworks inform nursing practice, requiring a structured approach to their application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a theory of moral ecology for conceptualizing the relationships between ethical frameworks in nursing.
• To explore moral sensitivity and moral judgment within a pluralistic ethical context for nurses.
• To provide an ecological model illustrating how nurses are influenced by complex social and ethical systems.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of ethical frameworks relevant to nursing practice.
• Application of an ecological model to understand the influence of social and ethical systems on nurses.
• Examination of moral sensitivity and moral judgment in relation to ethical frameworks.

Main Results:

• Multiple ethical frameworks (virtue, consequential, deontological, care, bioethics, employer directives, professional codes) inform nursing ethics.
• An ecological model demonstrates that nurses' moral sensitivity and judgment are influenced by proximal ethical systems.
• Proposed that ethical frameworks utilized by nurses exist in a relationally nested manner.

Conclusions:

• A moral ecology model provides a framework for understanding the interplay of ethical theories in nursing.
• Nurses' ethical decision-making is shaped by individual beliefs and the surrounding ethical environment.
• The proposed model supports nurses in navigating complex moral dilemmas across various practice settings.