ABSTRACT

In order for the intensive care nurses to recognize the ethical problems and to take proper decisions towards the solution of these problems, their moral sensibility, which is defined as the capability of distinguishing an ethical problem should be developed. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the moral sensibilities of intensive care nurses. Ninety out of 102 nurses who were working in the intensive care units of a teaching hospital in Ankara and accepted to be enrolled in the study constituted the study group in this definitive and sectional study. Data collection form is composed of 15 questions consisting of sociodemographic characteristics and study conditions. Moral sensibility of intensive care nurses in the study was in the moderate degree. The total moral sensibility score was not related with age, marital status, educational status, time exercised in intensive care, time exercised in profession, and taking any ethical courses before or after graduation, whereas age and time exercised in profession were closely related with some sub-dimensions of moral sensibility. In order to increase the level of moral sensibility of intensive care nurses and thus to recognize and solve ethical problems, it is suggested to plan postgraduate and continuous education programs. Furthermore it is necessary to conduct larger scale studies to determine different variables affecting the moral sensibility of intensive care nurses.