bioethics

Moral blindness

Failing to recognize that a situation, possibly viewing it solely as a clinical or procedural

• ex: Nurse prioritizes charting over a crying patient emotional needs, thinking of only efficiency.

Moral unpreparedness and incompetence

lacking knowledge or skills to make morally appropriate decisions or act ethically in a situation.

• ex: a new nurse witnesses patient abuse by senior staff member but doesn’t report it because they dont know the protocol or fear retaliation

Moral indifference and insensitivity

Being aware of the moral issue but showing apathy or lack of concern.

• ex: a nurse ignores a patient in pain saying “they always exaggerate”

Moral disengagement

Justifying unethical behavior to avoid feeling guilty

• ex: nurse skips handeashing and says' “ im not sick naman”

Moral fading

Ethical parts of a decision are gradually “faded out” or overlooked due to other pressures like policies or deadlines.

• ex: A hospital pushes staff to discharge patients quickly; over time nurses stop questioning early discharge even when unsafe.

Amoralism

Belief or attitude that moral values do not apply to to ones behavior.

• ex: healthcara manager saya that “healthcare is bussiness, not charity” when denying to uninsured patient.

Immoralism

Knowing whats wrong and choosing to do it anayway for personal gain or out of difiance

• ex: A nurse steals mediations, knowing it’s wrong, and justifies it by saying, “I deserve this after how much i work”

Moral complacency

Believing one’s moral standars are already good enough, leading to a lack of ethical reflection

• ex: a nurse refuses to update their ethics training, claiming, “ive been doing this for 20 years— iknow whats right”

Moral dumfounding / stupefication

Being unable to explain why something feels morally wrong, yet strongly believing it is.

• ex: a nurse feels disgusted by a patient’s cultural practice of drinking pigs blood, but caint explain why it’s wrong.

Moral fanaticism

Rigid and extreme adgerence to one moral viewpoint, ignoring others’ perspective or context.

• ex: a nurse refuses to give a pateint pain medication, saying “suffering builds character.” even if the patient is in agony.

Moral disagreement

Differences in moral values or beliefs between individuals or groups.

• ex: one nurse believes in total patient autonomy, while another thinks family should make decisions when the patient is elderly.

Moral conflicts

Two moral principles come into tension, but a clear right answer may still exist.

• a nurse struggles between telling the truth to a terminal patient vs. supporting the family’s wish to keep the diagnosis secret.

Moral dillema

Situation where a nurse faces a conflicting ethical principles or duties, making it challenging ti decide the right course of action.

• ex: a nurse must choose between keeping a suicidal teen’s secret or breeching confidentiality to inform their parents.

Moral distress

knowing the right thing to do but being unable to act due to constraints or other barriers.

• a nurse wants to advocate for a patient’s better care, but management denies resources, leaving the nurse frustated and helpless.