Osingada Charles Peter, Nalwadda Gorrette, Ngabirano Tom, Wakida John, Sewankambo Nelson, Nakanjako Damalie
Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Makerere College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Ministry of Health, Uganda Nurses and Midwife's Council, Kampala, Uganda.
BMC Res Notes. 2015 Jul 29;8:319. doi: 10.1186/s13104-015-1294-6.
High disease burden and scarcity of healthcare resources present complex ethical dilemmas for nurses working in developing countries. We assessed nurses' knowledge in ethics and their perceptions about Continuous Nurses' Ethics Education (CNEE) for in-service nurses.
Using an anonymous, pre-tested self-administered questionnaire, we assessed nurses' knowledge in basic ethics concepts at three regional hospitals in Uganda. Adequate knowledge was measured by a score ≥50% in the knowledge assessment test. Nurses' perceptions on CNEE were assessed using a six-point Likert scale.
Of 114 nurses, 91% were female; with mean age 44.7 (SD 10) years. Half were diploma, 47 (41%) certificates, 6 (5%) bachelors' degrees and one masters' level training. Overall, 18 (16%) scored ≥50% in the ethics knowledge test. Nurses with diploma or higher level of nursing training were less likely to fail the ethics knowledge than certificate-level nurses (OR 0.14, 95% CI: 0.02-0.7). Only 45% had ever attended at least one CNEE session and up to 93% agreed that CNEE is required to improve nurses' ethics knowledge and practice.
Nurses exhibited low knowledge in ethics and positive attitudes towards CNEE. We recommend structured CNEE programs to address basic concepts in nursing ethics and their application in clinical practice.
高疾病负担和医疗资源稀缺给在发展中国家工作的护士带来了复杂的伦理困境。我们评估了护士的伦理知识以及他们对在职护士持续伦理教育（CNEE）的看法。
我们使用一份经过预测试的匿名自填式问卷，对乌干达三家地区医院护士的基本伦理概念知识进行了评估。在知识评估测试中得分≥50%被视为具备足够的知识。使用六点李克特量表评估护士对CNEE的看法。
在114名护士中，91%为女性；平均年龄44.7（标准差10）岁。一半拥有文凭，47人（41%）拥有证书，6人（5%）拥有学士学位，1人接受过硕士水平培训。总体而言，18人（16%）在伦理知识测试中得分≥50%。拥有文凭或更高护理培训水平的护士在伦理知识测试中不及格的可能性低于证书水平的护士（比值比0.14，95%置信区间：0.02 - 0.7）。只有45%的人曾参加过至少一次CNEE课程，高达93%的人同意需要CNEE来提高护士的伦理知识和实践能力。
护士的伦理知识水平较低，但对CNEE持积极态度。我们建议开展结构化的CNEE项目，以讲解护理伦理的基本概念及其在临床实践中的应用。
