Bioethical considerations in cancer prevention and early detection practice and research

Abstract

Purpose/objectives: To review current ethical issues in cancer prevention and early detection, discuss some of the key methods and theories in contemporary bioethics, present clinical scenarios that illustrate moral problems that nurses may encounter, and show how the theories and methods can assist ethical decision making.

Data sources: Published articles, abstracts, and books; case studies developed from clinical experience and literary sources.

Data synthesis: Oncology nurses face a host of ethical considerations when providing cancer prevention and early detection education and services and when conducting research in this arena. A variety of ethical methods and theories--including principlism, casuistry, utilitarianism, rights-based theories, virtue ethics, ethics of care, and communitarian ethics--may assist nurses in tackling ethical challenges.

Conclusions: The growing field of cancer prevention and early detection raises a number of moral issues that have implications for oncology nursing. Because no single method or theory provides a complete account of bioethics, ethical problem solving should be approached using a variety of methods and theories whereby they can be coherently and appropriately applied together.

Implications for nursing practice: Oncology nurses need to increase their awareness of ethical issues related to cancer prevention and control and consider them when planning patient care and research programs.