Affiliation:
1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen
Abstract
Recent articles featured in the BJPN have examined different ethical aspects of theatre nurse practice (Hughes 2002, Sutton 2003). In this article, however, we look a little deeper at some of the wider issues which may influence our ethical reflection. Nursing today, in all its various forms, is a complex and serious human endeavour. The social context of such care is the organisation, and its typical mode of delivery is via technology. Both organisation and technology, by turning issues into problems to be solved rationally, may serve to weaken our understanding of the way in which ethics is concerned with everyday practice. A number of these issues are illustrated from the perspective of theatre nursing.