Abstract:

Objective To investigate the current status of nurses’ moral courage and its influencing factors. Methods From May to July 2020,a total of 1 094 nurses were recruited by convenience sampling from tertiary hospitals in Qingdao. The general information questionnaire,the Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale,the Revised Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey were used for the survey. Results The total score of nurses’ moral courage was（71.04±12.92）,the total score of nurses’ moral sensitivity was（34.82±7.49）,and the total score of nurses’ perception of hospital ethical climate was （94.80±13.98）. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that different departments（ICU and emergency department,while medical department as reference variable）,professional titles,employment forms,length of working,having medical ethics-related education or training,nurses’ moral sensitivity,and nurses’ perception of hospital ethical climate were associated with nurses’ moral courage,explaining 62.9% of the total variance（F=155.336,P<0.001）. Conclusion The moral courage of nurses is above average. Nursing managers and educators can focus on the influencing factors of nurses’ moral courage,cultivate nurses’ moral sensitivity,improve the ethical climate of the hospital,and further raise the level of nurses’ moral courage.

Key words: Nurses, Ethics,Nursing, Questionnaires, Moral courage, Moral sensitivity, Hospital ethical climate