The ethical component of nursing theory: an analysis of ethical components in four nursing theories

Personhood: An evolutionary concept analysis for nursing ethics, theory, practice, and research

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this concept analysis was to examine how the concept of personhood has been used in the nursing literature. The person is central to nursing, as the object of nursing work, or care, and a key element of theory. Health and illness confront conventional notions of personhood based on the Western philosophy, in delineating boundaries of life and death, and grappling with pathophysiological changes and alterations in capacities that challenge our understandings of what makes a person whole.

METHODS

Rodgers' evolutionary method was selected; it emphasizes the relationship between concepts, language, and communities of users. A literature search between 1950 and 2017 generated 760 articles; 54 were retained for analysis.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified: (1) personhood and nursing ethics, emphasizing scientific advances, and establishing criteria; (2) personhood as a morally significant, relational process realized through nursing care; (3) personhood lost (or neglected); (4) interventions aimed at understanding, recognizing, and enhancing personhood. Related terms, antecedent concepts, and consequences are explored.

CONCLUSIONS

This preliminary view of personhood in the nursing literature demonstrated how the concept has been developed, used, and understood. Areas for future research include nursing ethics, theory, and clinical practice, as well as links with other academic disciplines.

Turkish nursing students' perception of caring

Although caring is a difficult entity to explain or define, many authors consider that caring is the central and unifying domain of nursing. It is important that nursing students understand what care is in order to be clear about what good nursing care is. This qualitative study was conducted to clarify Turkish nursing students' perception of caring. The sample was 19 last year undergraduate nursing students who volunteered to be involved in this study. Nursing students were asked to write incidents in which they observed nursing behaviours conducted in caring and noncaring ways. Then the students were interviewed to clarify why nursing behaviours that were addressed in their written incidents were considered as caring or noncaring. Data which obtain from students' reports and interviews were analyzed and themes of caring were formed into two groups: professional/helping relationship and technical competency.

Development of the ethical dimension in nursing theory

Nurses encounter ethical dilemmas in their practice and need guidance in making relevant patient-care decisions. Nursing theory is believed to be the best source of such guidance. The aim of this paper is to describe the ethical dimension in nursing theory. A literature review shows the intricate relationship between ethics and nursing, yet there is lack of elaboration of ethical features in nursing theories. The identified elements of the ethical dimension include ethical theories and principles, values, ethical practice issues, moral reasoning and contextual factors. Criteria for the development and evaluation of the ethical dimension are presented, with an example using a middle range theory. The ethical components pertinent to a nursing theory need to be made explicit if theory is to guide practice. Nursing scholars are invited to elucidate the ethical dimension in their theories in order to enhance moral reasoning and provide a framework for ethical practice.