Autonomous Decision Making and Moral capacities

Abstract

This article examines how people with type 2 diabetes perceive autonomous decision making and which moral capacities they consider important in diabetes nurses' support of autonomous decision making. Fifteen older adults with type 2 diabetes were interviewed in a nurse-led unit. First, the data were analysed using the grounded theory method. The participants described a variety of decision-making processes in the nurse and family care-giver context. Later, descriptions of the decision-making processes were analysed using hermeneutic text interpretation. We suggest first- and second-order moral capacities that nurses specializing in diabetes need to promote the autonomous decision making of their patients. We recommend nurses to engage in ongoing, interactive reflective practice to further develop these moral capacities.

Concept analysis: patient autonomy in a caring context

“…) as well as involving dimensions that change according to time (Moser et al . ). In addition to being time‐changing, this attribute was described as a gradual change through nuances, stages or phases of autonomy, referring to both mental and physical capacity, as well as nurse–patient interaction (Moser et al .…”

A critical analysis of articles using a Gadamerian based research method

“…Of the 117 citations that partially used our article by far, the majority ( n = 64) used only the four steps we associated with ‘dialogue with the data’, that is data analysis. Several of these studies are based on hermeneutical frameworks though it is not always clear whose hermeneutic underpins the study (Moser, Houtepen, van der Bruggen, Spreeuwenberg, & Widdershoven, ; Pettersson & Bergbom, ). While we cannot claim to have tested the four steps in hermeneutic research using philosophers other than Gadamer, it seems appropriate that they be used as we ourselves said they were similar to those of van Manen's () approach.…”

Conocimiento de los profesionales de enfermería sobre Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2, Villavicencio, Meta, 2010

“…El rol de educador del profesional de enfermería es claro, del mismo modo es evidente la necesidad de poseer información clara y relevante para el desarrollo de las competencias necesarias que permitan conductas sostenidas para el autocontrol y autocuidado (Moser et al, 2009). De hecho, el profesional de enfermería es para el paciente la fuente primaria de información que le permite aplicar en su vida diaria el conocimiento dado, particularmente en el entorno domiciliario y laboral.…”