The experiences of ethical conflict among critical care professionals in China: A qualitative study

Ethical conflict is embedded in healthcare and is common in critical care setting. However, there is a paucity of research on the nature of ethical conflict in China. Ethical conflict has cultural and context sensitivity. Therefore, evidence is needed from different backgrounds to help discuss this issue across borders.

This study aimed to qualitatively identify the experience of ethical conflict in critical care professionals in China.

From December 2021 to February 2022, we performed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 21 critical care professionals from five intensive care units in a tertiary general hospital in China. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data.

Five themes and 14 sub-themes emerged from the data. Critical care professionals probably felt unable to navigate uncertainty, torn by family issues, outraged by unprofessional behaviours of medical staff, being trapped in a socioeconomic dilemma when having experience of ethical conflict. In addition, they also perceived that they could turn struggle into growth.

The experience of ethical conflict in critical care professionals involved a mixture of feelings. This study builds a comprehensive understanding of how ethical conflict affected their perceptions of themselves and their profession and provides implications to develop effective coping strategies.

The identification of critical care professionals' experience of ethical conflict would help identify what might trigger the ethical issues and what would be the potential target to optimize in critical practice.