title: Autonomous decision making and moral capacities.
abstract: This article examines how people with type 2 diabetes perceive autonomous decision making and which moral capacities they consider important in diabetes nurses' support of autonomous decision making. Fifteen older adults with type 2 diabetes were interviewed in a nurse-led unit. First, the data were analysed using the grounded theory method. The participants described a variety of decision-making processes in the nurse and family care-giver context. Later, descriptions of the decision-making processes were analysed using hermeneutic text interpretation. We suggest first- and second-order moral capacities that nurses specializing in diabetes need to promote the autonomous decision making of their patients. We recommend nurses to engage in ongoing, interactive reflective practice to further develop these moral capacities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Ethics and Society, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. a.moser@hes.unimaas.nl
authors.forename: Albine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Houtepen
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van der Bruggen
authors.forename: Cor
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spreeuwenberg
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Widdershoven
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035863:Moral Development; D009426:Netherlands; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D026706:Paternalism; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011368:Professional-Family Relations / Q000941:ethics