The role of the nurse in ethical decision-making in intensive care units

This paper focuses on the nurses' role in ethical decision-making in intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals in the UK. There is a paucity of research on the topic, studies published are generally North American or Canadian in origin. The available literature suggests that although nurses are constantly at the intensive care patient's bedside, often making complex decisions about treatment and care, their involvement in ethical decision-making is limited. This paper provides a review of the literature on how ethical decisions are made and the influences on nurses' participation in this process.