[Ethics and nursing. A contribution to nursing education]

Area of Science:

• Nursing Ethics
• Bioethics
• Healthcare Decision-Making

Background:

• Public health advancements necessitate expanded nursing roles and complex decision-making.
• Growing responsibilities in nursing highlight the need for robust ethical frameworks.
• Nurses frequently encounter moral conflicts requiring effective resolution strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore casuistry as a method for improving ethical decision-making in nursing.
• To analyze the conflict between respecting patient autonomy and the obligation to provide care.
• To examine the application of Thiroux's ethical principles in nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing casuistry to bridge general moral rules and specific clinical cases.
• Analyzing ethical dilemmas through the lens of established ethical principles.
• Examining the conflict between autonomy and the duty of care within nursing.

Main Results:

• Casuistry provides a framework for addressing moral conflicts in nursing practice.
• The principle of respecting autonomy often conflicts with the obligation to care.
• Ethical analysis using Thiroux's principles illuminates decision-making challenges.

Conclusions:

• Casuistry can aid nurses in making ethically sound decisions in complex situations.
• The method helps reconcile general ethical principles with specific patient care scenarios.
• Limitations include individual accountability for decisions without broad contextual reference.