scholarly journals Expert nurses’ coping strategies in ethically challenging situations: a qualitative study

BMC Nursing ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeon Hee Kim ◽  
Young-ah Kang ◽  
Jeong Hui Ok ◽  
Kwisoon Choe

Abstract Background Nurses frequently encounter ethically challenging situations in everyday practice. In these situations, nurses often know an appropriate course of action to take but are unable to do so. Many studies have examined the ethically challenging situations faced by nurses, but how nurses cope with these situations is not well understood. Therefore, this study aims to explore the coping strategies used or adopted in ethically challenging situations by expert nurses in South Korea. Methods Participants were recruited via purposive sampling. Small group interviews were conducted with 26 expert registered nurses in a general hospital in South Korea. The data were analyzed using Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Results The essential theme of nurses’ experience of coping with ethically challenging situations was “being faithful to the nature of caring.” This essential theme comprised three themes: self-monitoring of ethical insensitivity, maintaining honesty, and actively acting as an advocate. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that the coping strategies of expert nurses are mostly consistent with the attributes of ethical competence as previously defined in healthcare, and expert nurses can address ethically challenging situations in an effective and ethical manner by faithfully adhering to the spirit of caring. System-wide early counseling and interventions should be considered for nurses who have experienced ethical difficulties.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeon-Hee Kim ◽  
Young-ah Kang ◽  
Jeong-Hui Ok ◽  
Kwisoon Choe

Abstract Background Nurses encounter ethically challenging situations in everyday practice. This study aimed to explore expert nurses’ experiences of coping with ethically challenging situations to understand nurses’ ethical competence.MethodsParticipants were recruited via purposive sampling. Small group interviews were conducted with 26 expert registered nurses in a general hospital in South Korea. The data were analysed using Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method. ResultsThe essential theme of nurses’ experience of coping with ethically challenging situations was ‘being faithful to the nature of caring’. This essential theme comprised three themes: self-monitoring of ethical insensitivity, maintaining honesty, and actively acting as an advocate. ConclusionsThe findings of this study showed that coping strategies of expert nurses are mostly consistent with the attributes of previously defined ethical competence in healthcare, and the way for expert nurses to deal with ethically challenging situations is to care for patients faithfully according to the spirit of caring. It is ethical to be faithful to the nature of caring. System-wide early counselling and interventions should be considered for nurses who have experienced ethical difficulties. Nursing administrators also should investigate ethically challenging situations and implement measures to improve such situations, if possible.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Kristin Rotegård ◽  
Cornelia M. Ruland ◽  
May Solveig Fagermoen

Health assets, a term that refers to patients’ strengths and potentials, has emerged as an important aspect of health care. A conceptual analysis of health assets revealed five core dimensions: mobilization, motivational, relational, volitional, and protective strengths. How nurses experience and use patients’ health assets, however, is unknown. In this qualitative study, 26 expert nurses in cancer care participated in focus group interviews. The nurses had a large repertoire of experiences with cancer patients’ health assets. When the data were subjected to thematic analysis, three new core dimensions were revealed: cognitive, emotional, and physical strengths. Balancing processes within and among health assets—identified as an overriding theme—appeared to be affected by individual and contextual variations. The nurses realized that patients’ health assets could be better used and voiced a need for the clinical and organizational support to do so. New issues about health assets raised in this study may be caused by its novel context (e.g., expert nurses in oncology care). More research is needed on health assets in other contexts, such as patients with different health problems, and of possible strategies to support nurses’ use of health assets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-447
Author(s):  
Henrik Taarsted Jørgensen ◽  
Sine Agergaard ◽  
Michalis Stylianou ◽  
Jens Troelsen

In the context of implementing a physical activity policy as part of a national school reform in Denmark, the purpose of this study was to explore lower secondary teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of the physical activity policy with a focus on movement integration. In total, 14 teachers from four different schools were selected to take part in this qualitative study, which involved semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, go-along observations and informal interviews. A thematic analysis framework was employed to identify and describe patterns of meaning within data. The findings showed substantial diversity among teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of movement integration, and consequently a lack of definitional clarity regarding movement integration and a possible misalignment between policy and practice. Teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of movement integration were influenced by other and more prioritised policies and discourses regarding academic achievement, as well as by intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional factors. The findings also suggested a lack of support and collaboration within the school and provided insights into the strengths and weaknesses associated with the autonomy afforded in the Danish school reform.


Author(s):  
Ifeanyichukwu Anthony Ogueji ◽  
Samson Femi Agberotimi ◽  
Bolaji Johnson Adesanya ◽  
Taiwo Nurudeen Gidado

Author(s):  
Enoka De Jacolyn ◽  
Karolina Stasiak ◽  
Judith McCool

Migration, when it occurs during adolescence, is particularly challenging as it coincides with a myriad of other developmental and social changes. The present study set out to explore recent young migrants’ experiences of settling in New Zealand. The qualitative study aimed to identify areas of particular challenge, examples of resilience and new insights into the acculturation process. Focus group interviews were conducted with migrant youth aged 16–19 from three urban secondary schools in Auckland The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using a general inductive method. Key themes centered on new beginnings, confronting new realities, acceptance, support seeking and overcoming challenges. Young migrants in this study shared similar challenges during the early post-migration period. They were often faced with additional responsibility, being caught between two cultures while struggling with communication and language. However, they were able to draw on their own self-growth, gratitude, and social connections. This study provides an insight into experiences of young migrants in New Zealand, and offers suggestions for developing culturally relevant support to foster migrant youth wellbeing.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186
Author(s):  
Roel Konijnendijk

AbstractThis article highlights two aspects of the language used in Classical Greek literary sources to discuss pitched battle. First, the sources regularly use unqualified forms of the verb kinduneuein, “to take a risk,” when they mean fighting a battle. They do so especially in contexts of deliberation about the need to fight. Second, they often describe the outcome of major engagements in terms of luck, fate, and random chance, at the explicit expense of human agency. Taken together, these aspects of writing on war suggest that pitched battle was seen as an inherently risky course of action with unacceptably unpredictable results, which was therefore best avoided. Several examples show that the decision to fight was indeed evaluated in such terms. This practice casts further doubt on the traditional view that Greek armies engaged in pitched battles as a matter of principle.


Author(s):  
Therese Hellman ◽  
Fredrik Molin ◽  
Magnus Svartengren

Background: The aim is to explore how an organisational work environment support model, the Stamina model, influences employees’ work situations and the development of sustainable work systems. Methods: It was a qualitative study with semi-structured, focus-group interviews, including 45 employees from six work groups. Eighteen focus group interviews were conducted over a period of two years. Data were analysed with constant comparative method. Results: The core category, shifting focus from an individual to an organisational perspective of work, illustrated how communication and increased understanding of one’s work tasks changed over time and contributed to deeper focus on the actual operation. These insights were implemented at different time points among the work groups during the two-year process. Conclusions: Our results indicate that working with the model engages employees in the work environment management, puts emphasis on reflections and discussions about the meaning and purpose of the operations and enables a shared platform for communication. These are important features that need to continue over time in order to create a sustainable work system. The Stamina model, thus seems to have the potential to promote productive and healthy work places.


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