Dealing with ethical issues in rehabilitation medicine: The relationship between managerial support and emotional exhaustion is mediated by moral distress and enhanced by positive affectivity and resilience.

AIMS: To analyse whether managerial support and ethical vision of patient care would be related to emotional exhaustion directly or through moral distress and whether these relationships would be conditional on individual levels of positive affectivity and resilience. BACKGROUND: Although some studies described the effects of ethical climate, moral distress, resilience and positive affectivity on emotional exhaustion, there are no attempts of explicative models containing these variables. METHODS: A total of 222 Italian professionals employed in neuro-rehabilitation medicine units participated in this cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics, mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS. RESULTS: Managerial support and ethical vision of patient care were negatively related to emotional exhaustion, directly and through moral distress. Professionals high in resilience and positive affectivity benefited more from the protective effect of managerial support on emotional exhaustion through moral distress. CONCLUSION: Ethical climate represents a protective factor against moral distress and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, individual levels of positive affectivity and resilience may increase the beneficial effects deriving from managerial support in dealing with ethical issues. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Health organisations may consider developing strategies to improve ethical climate, enhance managers' ability to support team in dealing with ethical issues and foster employees' positive affectivity and resilience.

Ethical perspectives on self-neglect among older adults.

Self-neglect is a serious and growing problem among older adults. A 2004 survey from Adult Protective Services (APS) showed that adults age 60 or older were named in 85,000 reports of self-neglect from 21 states (Naik, Lai, Kunik, & Dyer, 2008; Teaster, Dugar, Mendiondo, Abner, & Cecil, 2006). Although rehabilitation nurses are obligated to uphold the autonomy of older adults and strengthen their independence, dilemmas result when people's poor health behaviors put them or others at risk for negative consequences. When making decisions about nursing actions related to self-neglecting elderly people, the basic principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and capacity must be considered. The purpose of this article is to discuss major ethical perspectives related to self-neglect among older adults.

Dolor y sufrimiento. Aspectos éticos / Pain and suffering. Ethics aspects

El significado de los conceptos de dolor y sufrimiento ha evolucionado a lo largo de las diferentes etapas de la historia. En la época moderna el dolor, gracias a los avances científicos y tecnológicos, ha podido ser combatido con más eficacia, quedando aún mucho camino por recorrer en el alivio del sufrimiento, por su complejidad. Unos buenos cuidados enfermeros requieren de las enfermeras, además de una gran formación, poseer gran habilidad para relacionarse con los pacientes y madurez profesional para hacer frente a los problemas emocionales que éstos comportan. Nuevas teorías defienden la responsabilidad de la enfermera frente a los retos que plantean el dolor y sufrimiento(AU)

The understanding of pain and suffering have evolved throughout the different stages of history. In modern times, pain, thanks to scientific and technological advances has been dealt with more efficiently, although there is still a long way to go towards the relief of suffering due to its complexity. Good nursing care requires nurses to have good training as well as having the ability to relate to patients. They also need professional maturity in order to deal with emotional problems arising from pain and suffering. New nursing theories place responsibility with the nurse when treating the challenges brought about by pain and suffering(AU)

Mapa de conflictos éticos intrahospitalarios en rehabilitación / Map of ethical conflicts at health care hospital in the medical rehabilitation

Objetivo: Analizar los principales problemas que la ciencia, la tecnología y los cambios organizativos han causado en la actividad profesional, social, asistencial, organizativa y legal de los profesionales de rehabilitación. Material y método: El estudio comprendió a 83 profesionales sanitarios que atienden a pacientes que precisan tratamiento de rehabilitación: 35 médicos de rehabilitación (24 médicos especialistas con régimen estatutario y 11 MIR [médicos internos residentes] de rehabilitación), 48 diplomadas en enfermería (DUE): 16 de la Unidad de Lesionados Medulares, 16 de la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y 16 de las plantas de hospitalización general, no de urgencias. Se diseñaron 2 cuestionarios de valoración, uno basado en los 10 dilemas o conflictos éticos acreditados como más habituales en el desarrollo de la actividad asistencial y otro segundo basado en los conflictos expresados en diferentes áreas: profesional, social, asistencial, organizativa y legal. Resultados: No existen diferencias significativas entre los 2 grupos (DUE versus médicos) en relación con las variables de las áreas profesional, social y legal, pero sí en la asistencial y organizativa donde se mostraron diferencias significativas entre los 2 grupos (p<0,05): los médicos presentaron más conflictos que las DUE. No existen diferencias significativas entre los 2 grupos estudiados, médicos y DUE, para la puntuación global de los 10 dilemas. Conclusiones: Antes, la solución de los problemas éticos era competencia sólo del médico, hoy lo es también del resto de los profesionales de la salud, porque todos interaccionan con el paciente, por eso la ética es una construcción social y cultural que debe revisarse constantemente en las organizaciones asistenciales, para que sus procesos conlleven a mejorar la calidad de vida de la persona con discapacidad y promover su independencia, que ha sido el objeto del presente estudio (AU)

Objective: To analyze the ethical problems in the health care of the medical and nursing rehabilitation. Materials and methods: The sample were 83 health workers, 35 doctors and 48 nurse specialists. Materials and methods: Using two assessment scales, one of the 10 ethical dilemmas and conflicts the most important during health care and a second questionnaire where was studied professionals problems, social, medical care, organizational and legal. Results: There are not significant differences between the two groups (Physician and nurse) in the variables of the areas professional, social and legal, but there were differences in the care and organizational (p<0.05), presenting doctors more conflicts than nurses. There are not significant differences between the two groups for the 10 ethical dilemmas. Conclusion: The resolution of ethical problems was only the responsibility of the physician before, but now it is also other health professional, because all of us interact with the patient. For this reason the ethics is social and cultural construction which has to constantly revise with organizations aid. For their processes improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and promote their independence, which has been the goal of this study (AU)

The ethics of using cybernetics and cyborg technologies: what every rehabilitation nurse should know.

Cybernetics and cyborg technologies are rapidly developing in the field of biotechnology. Such developments have yielded a wide variety of devices and prosthetics that have promoted the quality of life for many individuals with physical limitations and generally have been applauded by society and the rehabilitation field. However, such rapid developments have given rise to multiple ethical concerns. Understanding these ethical concerns and the implications they have for rehabilitation nurses is imperative. While the potential benefits of advances in technology are great for those with disabilities and chronic conditions, ethicists suggest that skepticism must be balanced with the zeal that often accompanies cutting-edge developments. As Hook notes, "We must show not a fear of technology, but a courageous control of technology, and refuse to let technology control us" (2002, p. 67).

Tools for the advancement of quality care.

Position statements promoting quality cancer care are invaluable tools for oncology nurses. This article reviews the various position papers that promote quality cancer care, rehabilitation of people with cancer, the patients' rights to quality cancer care, participation in clinical trials, and those issues involving quality cancer care in the Medicare program.