Developing the concept of moral sensitivity in health care practice.

• The aim of this Swedish study was to develop the concept of moral sensitivity in health care practice. This process began with an overview of relevant theories and perspectives on ethics with a focus on moral sensitivity and related concepts, in order to generate a theoretical framework. The second step was to construct a questionnaire based on this framework by generating a list of items from the theoretical framework. Nine items were finally selected as most appropriate and consistent with the research team's understanding of the concept of moral sensitivity. The items were worded as assumptions related to patient care. The questionnaire was distributed to two groups of health care personnel on two separate occasions and a total of 278 completed questionnaires were returned. A factor analysis identified three factors: sense of moral burden, moral strength and moral responsibility. These seem to be conceptually interrelated yet indicate that moral sensitivity may involve more dimensions than simply a cognitive capacity, particularly, feelings, sentiments, moral knowledge and skills.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adult

Attitude of Health Personnel

Awareness

Concept Formation

Ethics; Medical

Ethics; Nursing

Factor Analysis; Statistical

Health Knowledge; Attitudes; Practice

Health Personnel/education/ethics/psychology

Humans

Middle Aged

Models; Nursing

Models; Psychological

Moral Development

Nursing Methodology Research

Patient Advocacy/ethics/psychology

Philosophy; Medical

Philosophy; Nursing

Professional Competence/standards

Professional Role/psychology

Qualitative Research

Questionnaires

Self Efficacy

Social Responsibility

Sweden

Caring sciences

Vårdvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)