The Relationship between moral Sensitivity in decision making and Using white Lies in Patient Care

Nurses encounter challenging ethical issues in practice that can make decision making tough for them. Sometimes they are placed in a situation to choose one between the two interests of truth and life. Such dilemmas cause human developed and applied white lies.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between use of white lies in patient care and moral sensitivity in the decision making process among nurses.

This descriptive study was a cross-sectional one conducted in 2018 in Tehran (Iran). 300 nurses were recruited as the research sample using stratified random sampling method. Data were extracted from the sample questionnaires of demographic data, Lutzen moral sensitivity for decision making and white lie. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical methods including Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman correlation coefficient, Kruskal-Wallis test, t-test and Mann Whitney U test were used. P<0.05 represented as significant level.

Mean age of the participants was 35±6.14 years, and the majority were female (60.4%) and married (64%). Mean score of use of white lie in patient care was 62±7.61 and the mean score of the moral sensivity of nurses was estimated at 171±5.6 (favorable). A significant correlation was observed between the use of white lie in patient care and moral sensivity (P<0.023)(r= -0.68).

In view of the fact that nurses deal with serious situations in patient care that call for adequate ethical abilities for decision-making as well as good performance, it is necessary for them to be familiar with and sensitive to ethical issues related to their profession.