The problems of ethical regulation of modern nursing practice are relevant today. The ethical dilemmas that a nurse may face are varied, and understanding the core concepts behind them will help the nurse find solutions to these issues (Butts & Rich, 2019). Rainer et al. (2018), in their integrative review devoted to ethical dilemmas in nursing, attempt to reveal gaps in the literature on decision-making among clinical nurses when facing ethical dilemmas in their practice. The authors emphasize the necessity of adherence to the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, based on the core principles of bioethics. However, these principles are of general nature, while everyday situations require detailed consideration of the situation. This leads to the fact that nurses frequently struggle with ethical challenges, especially in the case when some principles may conflict.
Based on solid literature review among the databases such as PubMed and others, Rainer et al. draw a conclusion that the studies mainly include concern for moral distress, negative patient outcomes, situations of whistle‐blowing dilemmas. Most frequently, dilemmas associated with end‐of‐life issues are considered. Other issues include conflicts related to patient treatment plans, as well as the inability of nurses to advocate for their patients, due to the lack of authority (Rainer et al., 2018). Among the identified gaps, the authors especially note “lack of interventional studies” aiming at formulating strategies for nurses to resolve ethical dilemmas (Rainer et al., 2018, p. 3459). Although the authors recognize the purely qualitative nature of their research as a limitation, this review still can be considered a valuable contribution to research in the field of nursing ethics and search for further directions of study in the field.
References
Butts, J., & Rich, K. (2019). Nursing ethics: Across the curriculum and into practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Rainer, J., Schnieder, J., & Lorenz, R. (2018). Ethical dilemmas in nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Clinical Nusring, 27(19-20), 3446-3461.