The relationship between nurses' moral courage and whistleblowing approaches

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Ethics
• Nursing Professionalism
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Whistleblowing in healthcare necessitates significant moral courage from nursing professionals.
• Understanding the link between nurses' moral courage and their whistleblowing practices is crucial for mitigating adverse healthcare events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relationship between the levels of moral courage demonstrated by nurses and their chosen whistleblowing approaches.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive and correlational study design was employed.
• Data were collected from 582 actively practicing nurses in northwest Türkiye using an Information Form, the Nurses' Moral Courage Scale, and the Whistleblowing Scale.
• Ethical approval, institutional permission, and informed consent were secured prior to data collection.

Main Results:

• Nurses generally perceived their moral courage levels as high.
• Whistleblowing levels among nurses were found to be at a moderate level.
• A statistically significant, moderate positive correlation was identified between nurses' moral courage levels and their whistleblowing tendencies (p < .05).

Conclusions:

• Findings underscore the importance of fostering moral courage and establishing safe channels for reporting ethical violations within healthcare settings.
• This research can inform the development of targeted strategies to bolster nurses' moral courage and cultivate a more ethically sound healthcare work environment.