The Relationship Between Nurses' Perceptions of Caring Behaviors based on Watson's Theory and of Professional Ethics: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract Background and purpose: Caring is a central concept in nursing. It is essential that nurses adhere to ethics toward improving the quality of their performance as nurses. This study aims to explore the relationship between nurses' perceptions of caring behaviors and of nursing professional ethics.Methods: 210 nurses from hospitals in Shiraz, Iran, participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants were selected via stratified random sampling. The data collection tool consisted of demographics, Watson's caring dimensions inventory, and Petty's work ethics scale. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 25 using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results: There was not a statistically significant relationship between the nurses' demographics on the one hand and their perceptions of caring behaviors or of nursing professional ethics on the other. The mean of the participants' perception of caring behaviors scores was 142.49±10.71 and the mean of their professional ethics scores was 102.21±5.32. A significant positive correlation was found to exist between the two variables under study (P<0.001, r=0.46).Conclusion: There is a positive correlation between nurses' perceptions of caring behaviors and of professional ethics. This finding can be used by nursing administrators and policy-makers to design interventions to improve the quality of nursing care.