AN INQUIRY INTO A COMBINED APPROACH FOR NURSING ETHICS

A definitive theory for ethical decision making in nursing is still on ly conjecture. The literature confirms Chat there have been numerous e xaminations of ethical decision making in nursing, with most proposing either the justice or the care orientation or a combination of both. In the absence of a definitive theory, this exploratory work sets out, via grounded theory to shed some light on the methods used every day by nurses to make ethical decisions in the clinical area. The data sho w that some factors, such as doctors, colleagues and the organization, profoundly influence ethical decision making. The informants used bot h care and justice to formulate decisions, which is known as the combi ned approach. As a result of these findings, this article concludes wi th tentative suggestions and recommendations for practice.