Moral sensitivity and its dimensions in Iranian nursing students

As future providers of health services, nursing students should learn about ethical concepts over the course of their education. These concepts are currently taught in nursing schools, yet the degree of moral sensitivity in nursing students before entering clinical settings is a topic of controversy. This was a cross-sectional study on the nursing students studying for a bachelor's degree in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences selected through census sampling (n = 205). Data were collected by Lutzen's Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and analyzed through statistical tests using SPSS 16. The level of significance was P < 0.05. In order to conduct the study, permission was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The mean of moral sensitivity was found to be 66.1 + 8.1, which is a moderate level. Of all the dimensions of moral sensitivity, "expressing benevolence" had the highest (16.9 +/- 4.04) and "structuring moral sense" had the lowest (5.2 +/- 1.45) mean scores. Among demographic variables, age was found to have a significant positive correlation with the score of moral sensitivity (r = 0.2, P = 0.01). Nursing students are relatively familiar with the ethical concepts of patient care, but that does not seem to be sufficed, as moral sensitivity is an extremely crucial factor in care. It is therefore recommended that the necessary training be provided to develop moral sensitivity in nursing students both in educational and practical environments.