Introduction: Ethical conflict is one of the major problems among the nurses in the intensive care unit (ICU) that can
occur for various reasons and have several consequences. Due to the negative effects of ethical conflicts and their impact on nurses' professional and ethical practices, it is important to identify the factors associated with those increasing the intensity and frequency of the conflicts. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between exposure to ethical conflicts with demographic characteristics and perceptions of ICU nurses.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 251 nurses in the special ward ICU and CCU, working in government hospitals affiliated to Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Samples were
selected through census method and data were collected using demographic questionnaires, Nursing Questionnaire-Critical Care Version Ethical Conflict and Perceptions of the clinical setting questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software version 22 using ANOVA, Analysis of variance, independent t-test, Pearson correlation and Chi-square were performed.
Results: The findings of the study indicated that age variables with (P <0.05) and (r = -0 129), type of intensive ward (CCU, ICU), with (P <0.05), work experience with (r = -0.113) and (P <0.05) had significant and negative correlation with the ethical conflicts. Gender, type of shift, and bioethics courses had no significant relationship with ethical conflict (p > 0.05). According to the study, the level of moral conflict in the private sector was moderate. The difference between items 1, 3 and 4 of each domain in the perception questionnaire from clinical setting was significant (P < 0.05). In the second domain, there was no significant difference between items (P> 0.05)
Conclusion: Nurses have a significant ethical conflict with the physicians concerned with treating and caring the patients that needs to be investigated. Nurses do not have a good perception of the job environment and this greatly affects the rate of conflict and has a negative impact on their career and work efficiency. The level of severity of ethical conflict in nurses is at a moderate level, which needs to be addressed. Further studies are recommended to investigate the frequency and severity of exposure to ethical conflict for intensive care unit nurses.