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Ethics and Health Policy—Introduction
Author(s) -
Brown Carolyn L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
image: the journal of nursing scholarship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1547-5069
pISSN - 0743-5150
DOI - 10.1111/j.1547-5069.1999.tb00492.x
Subject(s) - pleasure , health care , value (mathematics) , institution , nursing , work (physics) , psychology , medicine , public relations , political science , law , mechanical engineering , machine learning , neuroscience , computer science , engineering
Stories of nurses who provide direct patient care were the impetus for this health policy feature. Nurses talk poignantly about value conflicts as they try to practice in today's health care environment. They believe economics rather than patient care needs drives decisions about the care patients receive. They say they provide the bare minimum of care, often leaving the workplace knowing they have left much undone. Their pleasure in being able to give nursing care as they wish diminishes daily, while their fatigue and stress increase. When asked to rank their values and the values of the health care institution where they work, they report economic and organizational survival to be the highest value in their workplace and quality of care the highest personal value (Brown, 1997).