Exploring ethical dilemmas in perioperative nursing practice through critical incidents

This article describes the nature of ethical dilemmas in perioperative nursing practice. Using the Critical Incident Technique, common ethical dilemmas experienced by perioperative nurses are explored. The aim of the study was to elicit the ethical dilemmas that arise in perioperative nurses' practice. The study has a descriptive design and the data are critical incidents described by 48 anaesthetic nurses and 76 operating theatre nurses. An analysis of the critical incidents gave four domains of ethical dilemmas: those arising as value conflicts in the intraoperative phase of surgery; those emanating from the patient's right of self-determination; those arising in caring for patients; and those resulting from the allocation of scarce resources and the demands of increased effectiveness.