Spontaneous ethics in nurses' willingness to work during a pandemic

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Ethics
• Nursing Studies
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• The role of solidarity and altruism in healthcare during life-threatening crises remains underexplored.
• The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique context to study nurses' willingness to provide care under extreme circumstances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the manifestations of ontological situational ethics in nurses' commitment to work during a pandemic.
• To understand the ethical motivations and challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 crisis.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interpretive study involving 20 intensive care unit nurses in Sweden.
• Interviews were conducted during the first three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Analysis utilized a theoretical ethics perspective.

Main Results:

• Nurses expressed spontaneous compassion and a sense of professional duty ('the nurse inside me').
• Motivations included competence, responsibility, solidarity, and a desire for meaningfulness.
• Themes of ambiguity, exhaustion, and unwillingness were also reported alongside altruism.

Conclusions:

• Nurses displayed a high willingness to care for vulnerable patients, even at personal risk.
• This willingness can be viewed as an inter-human vocation, essential for patient survival during crises.
• Understanding and supporting these altruistic actions is vital for healthcare resilience.