Table 6.
Issues in different aspects of healthcare ethics
| Issues in healthcare ethics | Agree | Disagree | Chi square | Cramer’s V | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient wishes must always be adhered to | |||||
| Doctors | 79 (66.9) | 39(33.1) | 4.40 | 0.14 | 0.036* |
| Nurses | 69(80.2) | 17(19.8) | |||
| Patient should always be informed of wrong doing | |||||
| Doctors | 83(70.3) | 35(29.7) | 0.008 | 0.006 | 0.930 |
| Nurses | 60(69.7) | 26(30.3) | |||
| Confidentiality is not important | |||||
| Doctors | 9 (7.6) | 109 (92.4) | 1.53 | 0.87 | 0.215 |
| Nurses | 3 (3.5) | 83 (96.5) | |||
| Doctor should do irrespective of patient’s opinion | |||||
| Doctors | 71(60.2) | 47(39.8) | 0.90 | 0.06 | 0.341 |
| Nurses | 46(53.5) | 40(46.5) | |||
| Close relative should always be told about patient’s opinion | |||||
| Doctors | 91(77.1) | 27(22.9) | 14.91 | 0.27 | <0.001* |
| Nurses | 83(96.5) | 3(3.5) | |||
| Children should never be treated without the consent of their parents | |||||
| Doctors | 85(72.0) | 33(28.0) | 5.58 | 0.16 | 0.017* |
| Nurses | 74(86.0) | 12(14.0) | |||
| If law allows abortion, doctors cannot refuse to do abortion | |||||
| Doctors | 54(45.7) | 64(54.3) | 11.62 | 0.23 | 0.001* |
| Nurses | 60(69.7) | 26(30.3) | |||
| If there is disagreement between patients/families and health care professionals about treatment decisions, doctors decision should be final | |||||
| Doctors | 24(20.3) | 94(79.7) | 4.58 | 0.15 | 0.032* |
| Nurses | 8(9.3) | 78(90.7) | |||
| Ethical conduct is only important to avoid legal action | |||||
| Doctors | 13(11.0) | 105(89.0) | 2.34 | 0.10 | 0.125 |
| Nurses | 16(18.6) | 70(81.4) | |||
| Ethics as part of a syllabus should be taught in every medical/nursing teaching institution | |||||
| Doctors | 116(98.3) | 2(1.7) | 0.097 | 0.02 | 0.755 |
| Nurses | 85(98.8) | 1(1.2) | |||
| It is very difficult to keep confidentiality, so it should be abandoned | |||||
| Doctors | 3(2.5) | 115(97.5) | 6.88 | 0.18 | 0.009* |
| Nurses | 10(11.6) | 76(88.4) | |||
| Doctors are receiving income from referring patients for medical tests | |||||
| Doctors | 80(67.8) | 38(32.2) | 1.17 | 0.076 | 0.874 |
| Nurses | 52(60.5) | 34(39.5) | |||
| Consent is only required for surgeries, not for tests and medicines | |||||
| Doctors | 15(12.7) | 103(87.3) | 0.24 | 0.03 | 0.623 |
| Nurses | 9(10.5) | 77(89.5) | |||
| Copying answers in degree examinations is bad/sin | |||||
| Doctors | 101(85.5) | 17(14.5) | 0.11 | 0.023 | 0.740 |
| Nurses | 75(87.2) | 11(12.8) | |||
| Acceptability in recording nervous system examination or blood pressure as normal when it has not been done for completion of documentation | |||||
| Doctors | 11(9.3) | 107(90.7) | 7.49 | 0.19 | 0.006* |
| Nurses | 20(23.3) | 66(76.7) | |||
| If a patient wishes to die, he or she should be assisted in doing so | |||||
| Doctors | 11(9.3) | 107(90.7) | 1.06 | 0.07 | 0.302 |
| Nurses | 12(14.0) | 74(86.0) | |||
| Doctors are influenced by drug company inducements, including gifts | |||||
| Doctors | 95(80.5) | 23(19.5) | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.874 |
| Nurses | 70(81.4) | 16(18.6) | |||
| In order to prevent transmission of tuberculosis, disclosure of tuberculosis positive status to neighbours should be done | |||||
| Doctors | 62(52.5) | 56(47.5) | 1.03 | 0.07 | 0.310 |
| Nurses | 39(45.3) | 47(54.7) | |||
| It is ethical to refuse a patient given a situation, a male doctor needs to examine a female patient and female attendant is not available | |||||
| Doctors | 40(33.9) | 78(66.1) | 6.95 | 0.18 | 0.008* |
| Nurses | 45(52.3) | 41(47.7) | |||
| Presence of interest in learning healthcare ethics | |||||
| Doctors | 114(96.6) | 4(2.0) | 2.97 | 0.12 | 0.085 |
| Nurses | 86(100.0) | 0(0.0) | |||
| Doctors/nurses must serve hard to reach remote areas and under-served population | |||||
| Doctors | 105(89.0) | 13(11.0) | 0.752 | 0.061 | 0.386 |
| Nurses | 73(84.9) | 13(15.1) | |||
| Necessity of incorporating medical ethics in undergraduate curriculum | |||||
| Doctors | 115(97.4) | 3(2.6) | 15.19 | 0.27 | <0.001* |
| Nurses | 70(81.3) | 16(18.7) | |||
Data are frequencies (percentages), *p < 0.05 is statistically significant