Development of the perceptions of conscience questionnaire.

Full Abstract

Health care often involves ethically difficult situations that may disquiet the conscience. The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire for identifying various perceptions of conscience within a framework based on the literature and on explorative interviews about perceptions of conscience (Perceptions of Conscience Questionnaire). The questionnaire was tested on a sample of 444 registered nurses, enrolled nurses, nurses' assistants and physicians. The data were analysed using principal component analysis to explore possible dimensions of perceptions of conscience. The results showed six dimensions, found also in theory and empirical health care studies. Conscience was perceived as authority, a warning signal, demanding sensitivity, an asset, a burden and depending on culture. We conclude that the Perceptions of Conscience Questionnaire is valid for assessing some perceptions of conscience relevant to health care providers.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Dahlqvist, Vera (V); Eriksson, Sture (S); Glasberg, Ann-Louise (AL); Lindahl, Elisabeth (E); Lützén, Kim (K); Strandberg, Gunilla (G); Söderberg, Anna (A); Sørlie, Venke (V); Norberg, Astrid (A);

Affiliation: Umeå University, SE 901 87 Umeå, Sweden. vera.dahlqvist(-atsign-)nurs.umu.se

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Nursing ethics (Nurs Ethics), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Mar; vol 14 (issue 2) : pp 181-93

Dates: Created 2007/04/11; Completed 2007/06/14;

PMID: 17425147, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Nurses - psychology
Nursing Care - psychology
Questionnaires

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.