Conducting Ethically Sound Disaster Nursing Research

Abstract

Health care professionals have always faced the threat of catastrophic disaster and pandemic infectious illness but have continued to practice without adequately considering the ethical consequences of many of the decision-making tools we currently have in place. Lack of research on these ethical decisions in the face of disasters regarding the 3Rs—rationing (triage and allocating scarce resources), restrictions (quarantine and the denial of care based on some criteria or the magnitude of the disaster), and responsibility (duty to treat and duty to report for work)—will leave nurses to make decisions in the throws of disaster rather than before the crisis occurs. This chapter focuses on conducting ethically sound nursing research in disasters. A survey of the literature on the topic to include current research on the 3Rs, frameworks, and methodological problems will be examined. This chapter concludes with a call to action for the nursing profession to accept their role as patient advocates and drive the research necessary to avoid the ethical pitfalls seen in recent disaster decisions and scenarios.