Nurses defending the autonomy of the elderly at the end of life

Nurses' adherence to ethical principles - A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Nursing is regulated by a set of professional standards. Whilst many forms of ethics apply to nursing, the biomedical ethical framework is common, involving autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. In healthcare, nurses often encounter ethical dilemmas that require them to navigate conflicting ethical principles. However, how nurses adhere to these principles in such situations is unclear.

RESEARCH AIM

To explore how registered nurses adhere to ethical principles when dealing with ethical dilemmas at work.

RESEARCH DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study design.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

Between August and December 2023, 21 registered nurses were recruited from a teaching hospital through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured in-person interviews or online video conferencing. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach was employed to analyse the data.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Interview participation was voluntary. Written consent was obtained before participation. Participants' real identities were replaced with pseudonyms. This study was approved by the SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board.

FINDINGS

The data analysis developed four major themes and 15 subthemes. The four major themes are "Addressing the dilemma," "Contemplating the principles and consequences," "Coordinating for well-informed, ethical decision," and "Self-reflecting and finding consolation."

CONCLUSION

This study explains how nurses navigate and uphold ethical principles when caring for patients to the best of their ability. Fully adhering to ethical principles can be challenging for caring for actively dying patients. Further research can expound on nurses' experiences and adherence to ethical principles in complex clinical cases.

Construction and enhancement of a prototype for a medical-hospital equipment for hypodermoclysis: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES

to construct a Subcutaneous Hydration Device semi-functional prototype and gather initial information to improve this prototype design and realize its acceptance potential.

METHODS

a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study, which used focus group, following the Technology Acceptance Model. The group was held at the Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra, Portugal, in December 2022, composed of nine participants from six different disciplinary areas, and followed thematic analysis.

RESULTS

four topics emerged associated with the device components: elastomeric infusion pump; needle/access device; clamp; administration set. From these topics, topics were triggered that highlighted: characteristics about the target population; ease of use and accessories; patient comfort and safety; and device application context.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

the Subcutaneous Hydration Device semi-functional prototype is viable and interesting for the clinic. The results support its improvement and direct future investments for experimental studies.

Development and psychometric properties of the Person-centered Palliative Care Nursing Instrument (PPCNI) in the Philippines

Background

Over the years, a few tools and instruments have been developed to assist in the assessment within a palliative care setting. However, many of these tools and instruments do not reflect a person-centered palliative care model.

Objective

This study aims to develop a Person-centered Palliative Care Nursing Instrument (PPCNI) in the Philippines.

Methods

An exhaustive search of the literature was conducted to develop a pool of items for the instrument. The validity of the instrument was evaluated using the content validity index (CVI), while the factor structure was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using maximum likelihood estimation with Promax rotation. Also, the internal reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha.

Results

EFA yielded three factors: 1) Caring as maintaining person's dignity (13 items), 2) caring as empowerment of person's autonomy (14 items), and 3) caring as understanding person's momentary concerns (10 items). Whereas the internal consistency reliability of these subscales appeared excellent (i.e., 0.95, 0.96, and 0.93, respectively), the Cronbach's alpha for the overall scale was 0.98. The item-total correlation coefficients were >0.30 for all items, ranging from 0.310 to 0.726.

Conclusion

Findings support a three-factor, 37-item PPCNI that can be used in clinical practice to ensure that nurses provide palliative care based on patient needs and preferences.

Knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions of elderly individuals regarding advance care planning: Questionnaire development and testing

Background

Studies have indicated that the advance care planning knowledge and attitudes of elderly individuals strongly affect their implementation of advance care planning. A measurement with a theoretical base for evaluating elderly individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding advance care planning is lacking.

Objectives

To develop a questionnaire and understand elderly individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding implementing advance care planning.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted. The content validity index, and statistical methods, including discrimination, factor, and reliability analysis, were adopted for psychometric testing. Descriptive statistics mainly presented data analysis.

Results

401 elderly individuals were recruited from a medical center and one senior activity center. The content validity index was approximately 0.71–0.92 for the developed questionnaires, the Kuder–Richardson formula 20 was 0.84 for advance care planning knowledge, and the Cronbach’s alpha was 0.86, 0.94, 0.76, and 0.92 for attitudes, behavioral intentions, influencing factors, and subjective norms, respectively. The average score for advance care planning knowledge for elderly individuals was 4.42, with a correct answer rate of 49.1%. They lacked knowledge of advance care planning-related legislation. The mean score for attitudes and behavioral intentions was 14.32 and 3.48, respectively. Elderly individuals agreed that advance care planning has benefits but were worried about the emotional distress caused by advance care planning discussions. Elderly individuals with positive behavioral intentions tend to implement advance care planning. Spouses, children, doctors, and nurses are significant reference people for elderly individuals.

Conclusions

The developed questionnaire exhibits good validity and reliability for understanding elderly individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions concerning advance care planning. Advance care planning materials or decision aids suitable for elderly individuals must be developed to increase their understanding of advance care planning. Additionally, the role of nurses is indispensable in promoting advance care planning among elderly individuals.

Ethical advocacy in the end-of-life nursing care: A concept analysis

AIM

This concept analysis was conducted to identify and define the features and functions of ethical advocacy in the end-of-life nursing care.

BACKGROUND

Ethical advocacy is key to the role of the nurse in delivering quality and competent care. Despite this, the dimensions of this concept are poorly understood.

DESIGN/DATA SOURCE

Databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and PubMed were searched systematically. To search these databases, the following keywords were used: "patient advocacy," "nursing," "ethics," "end-of-life care," and their combinations.

REVIEW METHODS

Walker and Avant's method was utilized as a comprehensive review of the literature to explore how ethical advocacy in nursing can be used to improve the quality of care.

RESULTS

The defining attributes of the concept of ethical advocacy included adhering to ethical principles of nursing, championing social justice in the provision of healthcare, safeguarding and defending patient's rights by applying collective wisdom, and involving hospital ethics committees. Antecedents are organizational and personal power and ethical leadership. The optimal consequence of ethical advocacy can be getting the best ethical governance.

CONCLUSION

Based on this analysis, the concept of ethical advocacy is one of the most important roles for nurses which requires their awareness of this concept.

Association between common mental disorders and quality of life in older adults

OBJECTIVE

to analyze the association between common mental disorder and quality of life in older adults.

METHOD

cross-sectional study developed with a total of 721 Brazilian older adults between July and October 2020. Participants completed three instruments to assess bio sociodemographic, mental health and quality of life data. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, Chi-square, Pearson correlation and multivariate linear regression tests, considering a 95% confidence interval (p < 0.05) for all analyses.

RESULTS

among the four components that assess common mental disorder, only three remained associated with negative coefficients with the participants' general quality of life: depressive-anxious mood (β = -2.050; [CI95% = -2.962 - -1.137]; p < 0.001); decrease in vital energy (β = -1.460; [CI95% = -2.197 - -0.723]; p < 0.001) and depressive thoughts (β = -4.124; [CI95% = -5.211- -3.038]; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

most components that assess common mental disorders are negatively associated with quality of life, that is, the increase in these disorders resulted in a reduction in the quality of life of older adults.

Reflections on elderly autonomy and its meaning for the practice of nursing care

OBJECTIVE

To reflect on autonomy in health care, its perspective on the lives of the elderly, and its meaning for the practice of nursing care.

METHODS

Theoretical essay on the practice of nursing care to promote autonomy and self-care for the elderly.

RESULTS

It is necessary to qualify the practice of nursing care to consider the aging process and maintain the autonomy of the elderly. Three parts emerged: "The autonomy of the elderly and the care plan", "Nursing in the self-care process", and "Challenges to the practice of caring for the elderly in nursing".

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

There is still a deficiency in promoting autonomy for the elderly due to the need for a review of the practice of nursing care, which, considering aging in Brazil, needs to undertake new actions in order to encourage self-care and autonomy in this population.

CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF THE MORAL SENSITIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE AMONG BRAZILIAN NURSES

ABSTRACT Objective: cultural adaptation and validation of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire to assess moral sensitivity among Brazilian nurses. Method: methodological study with 106 nurses from two hospitals located in the south of Brazil. The instrument was culturally adapted according to international guidelines, following six steps: translation, reconciliation of translated versions, back translation, expert panel, pretest, and final review. The Brazilian version was validated in the Brazilian context using factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: after the expert panel’s assessment, pretest, and verification of face and content validity, the instrument was considered satisfactory to be applied among Brazilian nurses. Six constructs were identified: Respect for patients’ autonomy, modified autonomy, experiencing moral conflict, having confidence in medical and nursing knowledge, structuring moral meanings, and teamwork. The instrument presented satisfactory internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha equal to 0.62; the Cronbach’s alpha of the six constructs ranged from 0.60 to 0.67. Conclusion: the Brazilian version of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire is valid and reliable to be applied among Brazilian nurses and can improve understanding of factors involving decision-making when facing ethical conflicts.