Student Research Committee, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Centre for Research in Nursing and Health, St George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW, Australia; Centre for Evidence-Based Initiatives in Health Care: a Joanna Briggs Centre of Excellence, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
Nurs Ethics. 2024 Mar-May;31(2-3):227-242. doi: 10.1177/09697330231167543. Epub 2023 Aug 3.
Intensive and critical care nurses need to demonstrate ethical sensitivity especially in recognizing and dealing with ethical dilemmas particularly as they often care for patients living with life-threatening conditions. Theories suggest that there is a convergence between nurses' empathy and ethical sensitivity. Evidence in the literature indicates that nurses' emotional, demographic, and work characteristics are associated with their level of empathy and ethical sensitivity.
To investigate the relationship between nurses' empathy and ethical sensitivity, considering their emotional states (depression, anxiety, and stress), demographic and work characteristics, and test an empirical model describing potential predictors of empathy (as a mediator) and ethical sensitivity using path analysis.
Using a cross-sectional design, the philosophical theory of care ethics and empathy was extended and adopted as a conceptual framework for this study and tested by path analysis.
Data were collected from 347 intensive care nurses recruited by ten educational-medical hospitals in Iran using a questionnaire between February and March 2021.
The study was reviewed by the Ethical Advisory Board in Iran and conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki.
Study participants demonstrated a mild level of stress, anxiety, and depression, alongside a relatively high level of empathy and ethical sensitivity. Nurses with good socioeconomic status had higher empathetic behavior with patients than those with weak status. Nurses aged over 40 who had received ethics training and had higher work experience were associated with higher ethical sensitivity compared to nurses under 20 years of age. Empathy directly affected ethical sensitivity; however, anxiety had an indirect effect on ethical sensitivity through empathy. Among demographic factors, age had a positive direct effect on ethical sensitivity.
Less anxiety and a high level of empathy contribute to higher levels of ethical sensitivity among intensive and critical care nurses.
重症监护和急救护士需要表现出伦理敏感性，尤其是在识别和处理伦理困境时，因为他们经常照顾患有危及生命疾病的患者。理论表明，护士的同理心和伦理敏感性之间存在趋同。文献中的证据表明，护士的情绪、人口统计学和工作特征与他们的同理心和伦理敏感性水平相关。
调查护士同理心和伦理敏感性之间的关系，同时考虑他们的情绪状态（抑郁、焦虑和压力）、人口统计学和工作特征，并使用路径分析检验描述同理心（作为中介）和伦理敏感性的潜在预测因素的实证模型。
本研究采用横断面设计，以关怀伦理和同理心的哲学理论为概念框架，并通过路径分析进行检验。
2021 年 2 月至 3 月期间，通过伊朗十所教育医疗医院，使用问卷从 347 名重症监护护士中收集数据。
该研究已在伊朗伦理咨询委员会进行了审查，并按照《赫尔辛基宣言》进行了操作。
研究参与者的压力、焦虑和抑郁程度较轻，同理心和伦理敏感性程度较高。社会经济地位较好的护士比地位较弱的护士对患者的同理心行为更强。接受过伦理培训、工作经验丰富的 40 岁以上护士比 20 岁以下护士具有更高的伦理敏感性。同理心直接影响伦理敏感性；然而，焦虑通过同理心对伦理敏感性产生间接影响。在人口统计学因素中，年龄对伦理敏感性有积极的直接影响。
较少的焦虑和高水平的同理心有助于提高重症监护和急救护士的伦理敏感性。
