Investigating the Correlation between Moral Sensitivity and Patient Advocacy in Nurses

Moral sensitivity, as the cornerstone of nursing ethics, paves the way for nurses to provide effective and ethical care to patients. One of the examples of ethical care is paying attention to patients’ rights and supporting them. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the correlation between moral sensitivity and patient advocacy in the nurses working at the hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in the city of Sari.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 nurses working at internal, surgical and intensive care departments of the hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Sari from January to May 2022. Sampling was done through simple random sampling method. The data collection tools included Lutzen et al.'s moral sensitivity questionnaire and Hanks' Protective Nursing Advocacy Scale. The data were analyzed through descriptive tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS 16 software.

Ethical Considerations: 

In this study, the ethical principles including maintaining confidentiality, obtaining a personal consent and the participants’ freedom of choice to cooperate or not during the study process were observed.

The mean score of moral sensitivity was 69.04±7.39 and that of patient advocacy was 154.71±13.83, both of which were at moderate level. There was a positive and significant correlation between moral sensitivity and patient advocacy (r=0.573 and P<0.01). The results of the regression test showed that moral sensitivity explains 57.3% of the variance of the variable of patient advocacy.

Both moral sensitivity and patient advocacy were at moderate level in the nurses, and there was a positive and significant relationship between them. In order to promote positive outcomes in the patient achieve optimal care and act as a patient advocate, it is necessary to pay attention to moral sensitivity in nurses. Moreover, paying attention to the approaches to increasing it seems to be crucial and indispensable.