Nurse educator Anne Wadhwa

Ethical conflict can have detrimental effects on one's emotional and physical health; conflict can generate feelings of stress and anxiety, compromise relationships, and lead to fragmented care that can jeopardize client safety and well-being.

Nurse educator Anne Wadhwa conducted an exploratory study titled Ethical Conflicts in Community Health Care: A Qualitative Study of Individual and Family Experiences to increase understanding of the types of ethical conflicts encountered by community health care recipients and their family members.

The study, conducted during her nursing graduate studies under the supervision of Dr. Caroline Porr, was part of a larger study at Memorial University that explored the ethical conflicts of nurses, physicians, clients, and family members; conflict management strategies; and the structure, function, and effectiveness of community ethics committees and services. Ms. Wadhwa found that ethical conflicts experienced by individuals and families involved issues related respect and dignity, privacy, and accessibility to care.

"My study findings are useful for informing nurses and other key stakeholders in community health care settings about the kinds of ethical conflicts that clients and their family members experience and the strategies used to manage their ethical concerns," she said, adding that the study provides a strong foundation for future nursing research that involves examination of ethical conflicts in the community and the identification of effective measures to promote client and family health and well-being.