Investigation of the relationship between intensive care nurses' attitudes and behaviors towards end of life care and ethical sensitivity

This study was conducted with a descriptive and correlational design in order to investigate the relationship between intensive care nurses' attitudes and behaviors towards end-of-life care and their ethical sensitivities. The universe of the study consisted of intensive care nurses working in a training and research hospital, and the sample consisted of nurses who volunteered to study in the universe (N=160). The data of the study were collected through electronic and printed forms using the "Nurse Identifier Form", "Intensive Care Nurses' Attitudes and Behaviors towards End-of-Life Care Scale" and "Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ)". The data obtained in the study were analyzed using the SPSS program. The mean age of the nurses was 29,28±4,89 years, 75,6% were female, 90,0% had a bachelor's degree, their length of service in the profession was 6,32±5,20 years, their length of service in the intensive care unit was 4,14±4,05 years, and their length of service in the current institution was 4,42±3,87 years. 81,9% of the nurses participating in the study consider themselves competent to produce solutions to ethical dilemmas/problems they encounter. The total mean score of the nurses' attitudes and behaviors towards end-of-life care was determined as 55,38±9,65, and their ethical sensitivity level was determined as 73,01±22,27. It was determined that the female nurses' attitudes and total mean scores towards end-of-life care were high, while the male nurses' ethical sensitivity "orientation" sub-dimension mean scores were high (p<0,01). According to these findings; it was concluded that the attitudes and behaviors of the nurses working in the intensive care units in the institution where the study was conducted towards end-of-life care were "above moderate/positive attitude and behavior level", and their ethical sensitivity was "in the moderate/high range".