Enhancing nurses' ethical practice: development of a clinical ethics program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Ethics
• Nursing Practice
• Managed Care

Background:

• Growing attention to ethics within managed care settings.
• Limited reporting on implemented clinical-based ethics programs.
• Need for evaluating ethics interventions in nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the outcomes of a clinical-based ethics program for nurses.
• To evaluate the program's impact on nurses' patient interactions and ethical perceptions.
• To identify factors influencing healthcare services.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental research design.
• Comparison of participant and control groups (20 nurses each).
• Utilized t-tests and reliable, valid measures for outcome assessment.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences observed between groups (p < .05).
• Modest positive changes noted in the participant group.
• Exploratory analyses identified influential variables in healthcare services.

Conclusions:

• The clinical ethics program demonstrated a positive, albeit modest, impact.
• Supports the implementation of ethics programs in managed care nursing.
• Highlights the importance of assessing interventions in healthcare settings.