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Nursing Ethics
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Relief of Suffering and Regard for Personhood: nurses’ ethical concerns in Japan and the USA

Dawn Doutrich

Washington State University College of Nursing, Vancouver, WA, USA, doutrich{at}vancouver.wsu.edu

Peggy Wros

Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing, Portland, OR, USA

Shigeko Izumi

Oregan Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA

The ethical concerns of Japanese nurses are compared with those of previously described nurses from the USA. Patient comfort was a primary concern of nurses from both countries. Participants described an ethical imperative to provide adequate pain medication for patients and prevent unnecessary and uncomfortable invasive tests and procedures, especially at the end of life as the focus changed from ‘cure’ to ‘care’. The notion of regard for personhood varied, based on the communication styles and definition of the self inherent in the different cultures of the nurses. A common meaning centred around knowing patients as persons, listening to their needs and preferences, supporting their everyday choices through advocacy, and maintaining their dignity. Despite background cultural differences, there are common ethical concerns between nurses in Japan and the USA. This article invites readers to reflect on everyday nursing practices that exemplify ethical expertise, and the significance of this expertise in uncovering and articulating nursing ethics across cultures.

Key Words: ethics • Japan • nursing • transcultural

Nursing Ethics, Vol. 8, No. 5, 449-458 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/096973300100800508
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