Factors influencing ethical decision-making in nursing: A mixed-methods systematic review
Background Ethical decision-making in nursing significantly impacts population health, yet systematic analyses of factors influencing this process remain scarce.Aim The aim is to systematically evaluate factors influencing ethical decision-making in clinical care and provide a reference for follow-u...
| Authors: | ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2026
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| In: |
Nursing ethics
Year: 2026, Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Pages: 287-300 |
| Further subjects: | B
Nursing
B influencing factors analysis B Patient Rights B Systematic Review B Mixed Methods B ethical decision-making |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Background Ethical decision-making in nursing significantly impacts population health, yet systematic analyses of factors influencing this process remain scarce.Aim The aim is to systematically evaluate factors influencing ethical decision-making in clinical care and provide a reference for follow-up nursing ethics education, medical institution management, and policy research in this field.Research Design This study was conducted using a mixed-methods systematic review design. In December 2024, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang Data, VIP Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies on factors influencing nursing ethical decision-making. The search covered records from each database?s inception to 1 December 2024. After literature screening and quality assessment, quantitative and qualitative data were extracted following the Joanna Briggs Institute Mixed-Methods Review guidelines. Core influencing factors were identified through thematic synthesis.Ethical Considerations Ethical review was not required for this study.Results Seventeen studies were included (13 quantitative and 4 qualitative). Thematic integration revealed four categories of influencing factors: nurse-related factors (e.g., professional identity perception), patient-related factors (e.g., clinical condition changes), team dynamics (e.g., collaboration among healthcare providers), and decision-making context (e.g., workload intensity), totaling 17 specific factors.Conclusion Nursing ethical decision-making is influenced by personal, patient-related, team-related, and contextual factors. Strategies to enhance this process include improving nurses? ethical competence, fostering teamwork, optimizing decision-making environments, and integrating findings into clinical practice. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-0989 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nursing ethics
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/09697330251374398 |
