Preserving dignity during the dying process requires reviewing the roles of those involved in the treatment, care methods and decision-making. This article examines the participation and responsibility assigned to nurses regarding decision-making in the final stages of life, as laid out in the Rights to and Guarantee of Dignity for the Individual During the Process of Death Act. This text has been analysed on the levels of socio-cultural practice and discourse practice, using the critical discourse analysis methodology. The results show (...) that, although the law is another result of the social trend of patient empowerment, the responsibility of the nurses is not recognised, and they are left out of the decision-making process in the final stages of life. (shrink)

Background:The development of a profession’s autonomy closely relates to that profession’s level of autonomy in performing its specific role. For the nursing profession, this key role is nursing care.Objectives:This study was undertaken to evaluate the professional autonomy of nurses in care provision, from an ethical perspective.Research design:A mixed methods approach is employed in this research, which makes use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative dimension of this research covers sociodemographic aspects and makes use of the Sociotropy–Autonomy Scale. The (...) qualitative dimension of the research relates to the factors that affect professional autonomy in nursing care.Participants and research context:The sample consisted of 30 nurses working in the orthopedics, neurology, or intensive care units of three hospitals.Ethical considerations:Before conducting this research, we received permission from the ethical committee, as well as written permits from all the institutions in which the research was carried out. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.Findings:According to the findings of this study, only 6.7% of the nurses surveyed stated that nurses had professional autonomy; they also stated that professional autonomy in nursing was mostly restricted by the need to be “dependent upon the physician in nursing implementations” and that autonomy in nursing care was mostly limited by a “high number of patients per nurse.”Discussion:This study determined that delays in resolving problems with regard to professional autonomy in nursing care in Turkey could be creating many of the professional and ethical problems that nurses face there.Conclusion:It is recommended that: individuals choose the nursing profession conscientiously; nurses need to be given professional awareness; their professional organizations need to be strengthened; and plans need to be made to increase research and to accumulate both knowledge and expertise. (shrink)