Perceptions of Ethical Problems by Nurses and Doctors

Clinical ethicists need to be aware of this heterogeneous perception of ethical problems in clinical medicine in order to communicate effectively about ethical problems.

Abstract

To identify how nurses and physicians perceive ethical problems in clinical medicine, we conducted structured interviews with 26 nurses and 24 physicians who work in acute-care units. Both groups thought that they frequently encounter ethical problems, although there was significant variation within each group about how often members of each group perceived such problems. Members of the health-care team often disagreed about ethical decisions. Nurses often described conflicts with physicians, but physicians rarely recognized disagreements with nurses. Clinical ethicists need to be aware of this heterogeneous perception in order to communicate effectively about ethical problems.