Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the level of moral courage among nurses in China, and to explore related influential factors, to help nursing managers take measures to improve nurses' moral courage.
Design: A cross-sectional study.
Methods: The data adopted a convenient sampling method. From September to December 2021, 583 nurses from five hospitals in Fujian Province completed the Chinese version of the Nurses' Moral Courage Scale (NMCS). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, T-test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis.
Results: The Chinese nurses perceived themselves, on average, as morally courageous. The mean NMCS score was 3.64 ± 0.692. The six factors showed statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05) with moral courage. Regression analysis showed that the main factors influencing nurses' moral courage were active learning of ethics knowledge and nursing was a career goal.
Conclusion: This study provides the self-evaluation level and related influencing factors of Chinese nurses' moral courage. There is no doubt that nurses still need strong moral courage to face unknown ethical problems and challenges in the future. Nursing managers should pay attention to the cultivation of nurses' moral courage, using various forms of educational activities to help nurses alleviate moral problems and improve their moral courage, to maintain patients' access to high-quality nursing.
Keywords: moral courage; nurses; nursing ethics; virtue ethics.
© 2023 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.