Vi gjorde det vi kunne;han var jo så »fin« —Hvordan håndterer sykepleiere og leger etiske beslut-ninger i nyfødtmedisinsk avdeling?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to generate knowledge about the ethical decision-making-processes nurses and physicians are faced with on a neonatal unit. What ethical assessments are underlying decisions on whether to start, continue or stop medical treatment of very sick premature babies. A descriptive study design with field observations and in depth interviews was chosen. Strauss' & Glaser's qualitative, comparative method, Grounded Theory, was used to analyze the field observations and interviews. The theoretical framework was normative ethics; deontological ethics, utilitarianism, Aristotelian virtue-ethics theory and an ethics of proximity. The findings were discussed at the individual and the organizational levels. Furthermore, the findings seem to indicate that ethical decisions are somewhat ambivalent. Experience does not make these decisions easier. In situations of indecisiveness, decisions are based upon the sign-of-life of the babies. The findings seem to indicate that nurses and physicians use elements from all the different ethical positions. A tentative theoretical framework was discussed where the core variable seems to be ambivalence.