Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

Nurses nowadays are faced with complex moral problems, which put them in conditions where their proper performance may conflict with the values and beliefs of other health care providers. In such situations, maintaining commitment to patients requires considerable moral courage, and moral sensitivity can play a significant role in the development of moral courage. The present study was performed to investigate the correlation between moral courage and moral sensitivity of the nurses working in selected hospitals of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.In this study, 260 nurses were selected by randomized sampling. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire by Han et al., and the Professional Moral Courage Scale by Sekerka et al. Content validity and face validity of the moral sensitivity questionnaire and moral courage scale were qualitatively investigated, and Cronbach's alpha was used for assessing their reliability. Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytic statistical tests using SPSS 21.The results indicated that the average score of nurses’ moral courage was 90.36 ± 10.56, and the highest moral courage pertained to the dimension of moral agent. The average score of the nurses’ moral sensitivity was 60.99 ± 17.78, and the highest moral sensitivity was observed in the dimension of respect for the patient. The statistical analysis indicated a positive correlation between moral courage and moral sensitivity (P < 0.05, r = 0.15). The subjects’ moral courage differed according to their age, work experience and employment type, but not according to their gender, marital status, education level and work shift. The results of the present study indicate that there is a positive and significant statistical correlation between moral courage and moral sensitivity. It seems that promoting nurses’ awareness of moral principles and increasing their moral sensitivity lead to the development of courageous moral behaviors in nurses.