RT Article
T1 Conflicts of conscience in the neonatal intensive care unit: Perspectives of Alberta
JF Nursing ethics
VO 25
IS 8
SP 992
OP 1003
A1 Ford, Natalie J
A1 Austin, Wendy
LA English
PB Sage
YR 2018
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1779456395
AB Background:Limited knowledge of the experiences of conflicts of conscience found in nursing literature.Objectives:To explore the individual experiences of a conflict of conscience for neonatal nurses in Alberta.Research design:Interpretive description was selected to help situate the findings in a meaningful clinical context.Participants and research context:Five interviews with neonatal nurses working in Neonatal Intensive Care Units throughout Alberta.Ethical consideration:Ethics approval from the Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Alberta.Findings:Three common themes emerged from the interviews: the unforgettable conflict with pain and suffering, finding the nurse’s voice, and the unique proximity of nurses.Discussion and conclusion:The nurses described a conflict of conscience when the neonate in their care experienced undermanaged pain and unnecessary suffering. During these experiences, they felt guilty, sad, hopeless, and powerless when they were unable to follow their conscience. Informal ways to follow their conscience were employed before declaration of conscientious objection was considered. This study highlights the vital importance of respecting a conflict of conscience to maintain the moral integrity of neonatal nurses and exposes the complexities of conscientious objection.
K1 topic areas
K1 neonatal care
K1 Moral Integrity
K1 Moral Distress
K1 Conscientious Objection
K1 conflicts of conscience
K1 Areas of practice
DO 10.1177/0969733016684547