Ethical dilemmas, perceived risk, and motivation among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nursing Ethics - Tập 28 Số 1 - Trang 9-22 - 2021
Daniel Sperling1
1University of Haifa, Israel

Tóm tắt

Background: Positioned at the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 disease, nurses are at increased risk of contraction, yet as they feel obligated to provide care, they also experience ethical pressure. Research question and objectives: The study examined how Israeli nurses respond to ethical dilemmas and tension during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to what extent this is associated with their perceived risk and motivation to provide care? Research design: The study implemented a descriptive correlative study using a 53-section online questionnaire, including 4 open-ended questions. Participants and research context: The questionnaire was complete by 231 registered and intern nurses after being posted on nurses’ Facebook and WhatsApp groups, and through snowball sampling. Ethical considerations: The research was pre-approved by the ethics committee of the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences at the University of Haifa, Israel. Findings: In all, 68.8% of the respondents had received some form of training about COVID-19. Respondents positioned themselves at perceived high risk levels for contracting the virus. About one-third feared going to work because of potential contraction and due to feeling inadequately protected. While 40.9% were scared to care for COVID-19 patients, 74.7% did not believe they have the right to refuse to treat certain patients. When asked about defining an age limit for providing patients with scarce resources (such as ventilation machines) in cases of insufficient supplies, respondents stated that the maximum age in such scenarios should be 84 (standard deviation (SD = 19) – yet most respondents (81.4%) believed that every patient has the right to receive optimal treatment, regardless of their age and medical background. Discussion: Correlating with their strong commitment to care, nurses did not convey intention to leave the profession despite their stress, perceived risk, and feelings of insufficient support and protection at work. The nurses did not hold a utilitarian approach to resource allocation, thereby acknowledging the value of all people and their entitlement to care, regardless of optimal outcomes. Conclusion: While experiencing significant personal risk and emotional burden, nurses conveyed strong dedication to providing care, and did not regret working in the nursing profession, yet they did seek a supportive climate for their needs and ethical concerns.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

10.31729/jnma.4959

Graham Y, 2020, Nurs Times, 116, 20

10.1080/17482631.2019.1626179

10.1136/oemed-2020-106587

10.1056/NEJMp2006141

10.1111/jonm.13014

10.1056/NEJMsb2005114

10.1111/jocn.15307

Huang L, MedRxiv

10.5811/westjem.2020.4.47549

10.1016/j.ijans.2017.09.002

10.1177/0969733016648205

Sperling D, Disas Med Pub Heal Prep

10.1002/nur.22025

10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.050

10.3390/ijerph13060618

10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.11.007

10.1016/j.jen.2017.09.011

10.1111/jocn.15366

10.1111/inr.12395

10.1111/jnu.12056

ANA. Nurses, ethics and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, https://www.nursingworld.org/∼4981cc/globalassets/covid19/nurses-ethics-and-the-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic_pdf-1.pdf (accessed 17 June 2020).

10.1001/jama.2020.5893

AAEM. AAEM position statement on protections for emergency medicine physicians during COVID-19, https://www.aaem.org/resources/statements/position/protections-for-eps-during-covid-19 (accessed 17 June 2020).

10.1111/jnu.12466

10.1111/jan.14407

10.1111/jgs.16554

10.1136/medethics-2020-106242

Asman O, 2017, Med Law, 36, 53

10.1177/1477750920920559

10.1177/0969733017712081

10.1016/j.jamda.2020.06.011

Kackin O, Int J Soc Psych

10.1016/j.ajic.2020.03.018

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Nursing Ethics

Tập 28 Số 1

9-22

Thông tin tác giả