Retired registered nurses' stories about being in ethically difficult care situations

Area of Science:

• Nursing Ethics
• Qualitative Research
• Healthcare Professional Interactions

Background:

• Nurses frequently encounter complex care situations requiring ethical decision-making.
• Understanding nurses' perspectives on ethical challenges is crucial for improving patient care and professional development.
• Previous research has explored ethical dilemmas, but the specific experiences of retired nurses offer unique insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and analyze the ethical challenges faced by retired nurses in their professional practice.
• To identify the key figures and factors influencing nurses' ethical decision-making in difficult care situations.
• To understand the role of experiential learning in navigating ethical complexities within nursing.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with twelve retired nurses.
• Content analysis of transcribed interviews to identify recurring themes and patterns.
• Focus on narrations of care situations where determining the 'right and good' action was difficult.

Main Results:

• Physicians emerged as central coactors in nurses' ethical narratives, while colleagues were infrequently mentioned.
• Patients were consistently portrayed as central figures, treated with respect.
• All participating nurses emphasized the significance of experiential learning in their ethical development and practice.

Conclusions:

• Experiential learning is a vital component of ethical practice for nurses, particularly in navigating complex interactions with physicians and patients.
• The findings underscore the importance of interprofessional dynamics, especially the physician-nurse relationship, in ethical care scenarios.
• Retired nurses' reflections provide valuable lessons on ethical resilience and the development of practical wisdom in nursing.