Supporting nurses in ethical decision making.
In their clinical practice, nurses are confronted continuously with ethical issues. There is a growing concern about the capacity of nurses to perform ethically. This article explores the process of ethical decision-making in nursing, including the process of ethical reasoning and the implementation of ethical decisions in clinical practice. This article begins with a reflection on the essence of nursing and on nurses' ethical responsibility. Problems as well as determinants related to nurses' ethical decision-making, are described. Based on the research in this area, some strategies to support ethical decision-making by nurses are proposed.
Center for Health Services and Nursing Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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Dierckx de Casterlé
D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making; D036262:Empirical Research; D028741:Ethics Committees, Clinical; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006801:Humans; D035863:Moral Development