Ethical/moral experiences of oncology nurses.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe the ethical/moral situations that oncology nurses report experiencing.

DESIGN

Descriptive, exploratory, qualitative.

SETTING

United States.

SAMPLE

Seventy nurses selected randomly from the Oncology Nursing Society Membership Directory.

METHODS

The participants responded in writing to the following question: Describe an oncology clinical situation in which you experienced ethical/moral questions. Share all the thoughts, perceptions, and feelings you can recall until you have no more to say about the situation.

FINDINGS

Most of the experiences these oncology nurses reported reflected a care perspective; focused on the moral principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, fidelity, and truth telling; and revealed moral themes of suffering, secrets, and struggle.

CONCLUSIONS

Oncology nurses in this study experienced ethical/moral situations related to a care perspective rather than a justice perspective, and this information provides a beginning oncology nursing ethics framework.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Oncology nursing preparation should include ethical content based on the actual experiences of oncology nurses.