Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex
Published on: July 4, 2018
Ethical Sensitivity as Mediator Between Conflict and Decision-Making: A Cross-Sectional Study of ICU Nurses
Qingyun He1, Chunmei Huang2, Jie Feng2
1Department of Emergency Intensive Care Unit, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, China.
Aims:
To examine the relationship between ethical conflicts and ethical decision-making ability, ethical sensitivity and demographic factors as mediator/moderator roles.
Design:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to December 2024.
Methods:
This study involved 503 intensive care unit nurses from eight tertiary hospitals across Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. Participants completed validated instruments including the Ethical Conflict Nursing Questionnaire-Critical Care Version, the Chinese Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire-Revised version and the Chinese Version of Judgement About Nursing Decision. SPSS 27.0 was used for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis, while PROCESS macro handled mediation and moderation analysis.
Results:
The relationship between ethical conflict and decision-making ability was significantly mediated by both moral responsibility/strength and burden, with the latter demonstrating a stronger indirect effect. Furthermore, exploratory moderated mediation analysis showed that this mediation model varied significantly across different levels of work experience and types of intensive care unit. Given the exploratory nature of these findings, they require verification in future confirmatory studies.
Conclusions:
The association between ethical conflict and decision-making ability was mediated by ethical sensitivity. This pathway was moderated by work environment and qualifications, indicating the need for tailored interventions.
Implications For The Profession And/Or Patient Care:
Developing nurses' ethical sensitivity is a key strategy for managers aiming to improve ethical decision-making when nurses face ethical conflicts.
Impact:
This study addressed ambiguous findings regarding the relationship between ethical conflict and nurses' decision-making ability. For nurse managers, fostering ethical sensitivity among staff represents a key strategy for mitigating the ethical conflicts that are negatively associated with decision-making ability.
Reporting Method:
The strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology statement (STROBE) was followed.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
No patient or public contribution.
Trial Registration:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): MR-33-24-032956.
More Related Videos
08:25Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment
Published on: December 6, 2024
10:38Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies
Published on: January 16, 2019
Related Concept Videos
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
01:30Ethical Dilemmas II
01:08Obedience
01:25Ethical Standards I
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...