Moral sensitivity of pediatric nurses

Abstract

Moral sensitivity is the first component of ethical decision-making. This decriptive-type study was conducted to determine moral sensitivity of pediatric nurses. The study sample consisted of 97 pediatric nurses. The data were collected using the “pediatric nurses defining characterstics data form” and Turkish version of “Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire”. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the one way anova test, independent samples t test and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Moral sensitivity of pediatric nurses with ethics training was higher than no ethics training. Pediatric nurses who have more experience were higher moral sensitivity. Moral sensitivity is not influenced by educational level, hospital type, position and pediatric unit type. Training programs are necessary to develop nurses’ moral sensitivity.