A Greater Number of Ethical Decisions


In an age of ever-changing technology, medical advances in care, and sicker patients who now live longer; nurses are experiencing the need to make a greater number of ethical decisions (Iacobucci, Daly, Lindell, & Griffin, 2012). The nursing profession is also further burdened by economics and a nursing shortage, which is likely to grow more pronounced as older nurses retire and the number of sicker patients to care for increases. These factors lead to time constraints in the care nurses are able to afford to patients. These limitations also cause nurses to feel stressed or unable to achieve ethical decision making as they wish to do at times (Ghebrehiwet, 2012; Iacobucci et al., 2012).
Does this sentiment ring true in nurses?  Do you feel stressed making ethical decisions in light of these factors?  Are you too busy with caring for your patients to be able to make ethical decisions to your liking?  As always, I welcome comments and feedback. 

References

Ghebrehiwet, T. (2012). Reflections on nursing ethics. Nursing Ethics, 19, 313-315.
Iacobucci, T. A., Daly, B. J., Lindell, D., & Griffin, M. Q. (2012). Professional values, self-esteem, and ethical confidence of baccalaureate nursing students. Nursing Ethics 20(4), 479-490.

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