Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi (Apr 2021)

Determination of the Relationship Between Intensive Care Nurses' Moral Sensitivity and Ethical Decision Making Level

  • Birgül Cerit ,
  • Esra Öztürk

DOI
https://doi.org/10.46483/deuhfed.763525
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 2
pp. 116 – 123

Abstract

Read online

Background: The fact that hospitalized patients in intensive care units are generally at risk of life, require close monitoring and have special care needs may increase the happening of ethical problems encountered by nurses working in this unit. Therefore, it is important for intensive care nurses to recognize these ethical problems they face and have the ability to make ethical decisions, in order to provide care in accordance with ethical standards. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between intensive care nurses' moral sensitivity and their levels of ethical decision-making. Method: Relational screening model was used in this study. The data were obtained from 103 intensive care nurses. Descriptive Information Form, Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and Nursing Dilemma Test were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were used to evaluate the research data. Results: The average moral sensitivity score of intensive care nurses was 77.33 ± 17.053. It was found that nurses showed ethical sensitivity at least in the sub-dimension of conflict (12.15 ± 4.486) and at most in the sub-dimension of orientation (9.05 ± 3.856). The nursing principled thinking mean score of nurses was 46.79 ± 6.293, while the practical consideration mean score was 19.01 ± 3.994. Among the moral sensitivity sub-dimensions, only holistic approach (r = .24; p = .013) and total moral sensitivity (r = .20; p = .040) were found to have a positive, significant and very weak relationship with nursing principal thinking levels of the intensive care nurses. No significant relationship has been found between moral sensitivity and practical consideration levels of nurses. Conclusion: As a result of the study, it is seen that intensive care nurses have a high level of moral sensitivity, and they consider ethical principles and environmental factors above the average while making ethical decisions. Increased moral sensitivity of intensive care nurses may positively be reflected on their level of ethical decision-making.

Keywords