Ethical Conflicts in Prehospital Emergency Care

• Published in: Nursing ethics Vol. 13; no. 6; pp. 592 - 607
• Main Authors: Sandman, Lars, Nordmark, Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.11.2006; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Ambulances; Conflict (Psychology); Decision making; Decision Making - ethics; Emergency medical care; Emergency Medical Services - ethics; Emergency Medical Services - organization & administration; Emergency Medical Technicians - ethics; Emergency Nursing - ethics; Emergency services; Female; Focus Groups; Humans; Male; Medical ethics; Moral conflict; Nurses; Nursing; Paramedics; Patient Rights; Patients; Professional ethics; Professional Role; Professionals; Sweden; Values; Sweden; ethical conflicts; ambulance; paramedics; prehospital emergency care
• ISSN: 0969-7330; 1477-0989
• DOI: 10.1177/0969733006069694

This article analyses and presents a survey of ethical conflicts in prehospital emergency care. The results are based on six focus group interviews with 29 registered nurses and paramedics working in prehospital emergency care at three different locations: a small town, a part of a major city and a sparsely populated area. Ethical conflict was found to arise in 10 different nodes of conflict: the patient/carer relationship, the patient’s self-determination, the patient’s best interest, the carer’s professional ideals, the carer’s professional role and self-identity, significant others and bystanders, other care professionals, organizational structure and resource management, societal ideals, and other professionals. It is often argued that prehospital care is unique in comparison with other forms of care. However, in this article we do not find support for the idea that ethical conflicts occurring in prehospital care are unique, even if some may be more common in this context.