Evaluation of the Moral Courage and Moral Sensitivity and Factors Affecting them in the Nurses of Selected Hospitals in Bojnourd

The nurses in the health care environment, because of their professional roles, are increasingly faced with complex moral and ethical dilemmas. This study aims to investigate the association of moral courage and moral sensitivity of the nurses in selected hospitals of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences.

Current study is a cross-sectional analytical study with 220 sample sizes selected by convenience sampling method, in which, questionnaire, demographic, moral sensitivity and moral courage are used to collect data. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were considered based on the studies and the researcher. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20.

Based on the results, the mean score of moral sensitivity was 90.33 ±17.08 and the highest moral sensitivity was in the dimension of moral behavior. Moral courage with an average of 91.96 ±12.60 and the highest moral courage in the Going beyond compliance was reported with an average of 18.95±4.87. Statistical analysis showed a positive correlation between moral sensitivity and moral courage (P = 0.0002, r = 0.25).

The positive correlation between moral courage and moral sensitivity in nurses suggest that raising the level of nurses' awareness of moral principles and increasing their moral sensitivity can also lead to the development of moral courageous behaviors.