The relationship between the ethical attitudes and holistic competence levels of intensive care nurses: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Intensive care units are directly associated with the competency level of nurses and are units where ethical problems are frequently experienced. This research aims to determine the relationship between intensive care nurses’ ethical attitudes and holistic competence levels. METHODS: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional design using self-report questionnaires distributed to 131 intensive care nurses in Turkey. The data of the study were collected with the “Nurses Information Form,” “Holistic Nursing Competence Scale” and “Ethical Attitude Scale for Nursing Care”. RESULTS: The total mean score of the Holistic Nursing Competence of the nurses was 6.89±0.95. Holistic Nursing Competence level was significantly lower for those who had experienced less than one year in the profession, and it was higher for those who worked in the emergency intensive care unit and the nurses whose clinics had 21 and above nurses. The total mean score of the nurses’ ethics attitude toward nursing care was 59.36±29.09. Ethical Attitude for Nursing Care was significantly lower for those who had a master’s degree, and the nurses whose clinics had 21 and above nurses scored higher. There was a weak and negative correlation between the nurses’ Holistic Nursing Competence Scale and the total mean score of the Ethical Attitude Scale for Nursing Care. The ethical attitude was predicted in 13.2% of the Holistic Nursing Competence of nurses. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that nurses’ holistic competence levels were high, their ethical attitudes were negative, and there was a weak negative correlation between their holistic competence levels and their ethical attitudes toward care.