To resolve ethical dilemmas, one needs to ...

• A. Distinguish among value, fact, and opinion
• B. Choose the majority view
• C. Follow rules without question
• D. Ignore personal beliefs

Answer: (A)

In nursing ethics, solving dilemmas hinges on separating what matters to people (values), what can be known from the situation (facts), and personal interpretations or beliefs (opinions). This clarity lets you see where conflicts arise between a patient’s preferences, clinical evidence, and your own or others’ judgments. By distinguishing these elements, you can apply ethical principles—such as autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice—along with patient values to choose a course of action that respects the patient while reflecting sound reasoning.

For example, if a patient refuses treatment, the value of respecting autonomy guides the response, while facts about prognosis and risks inform what options are still appropriate. Your own feelings or beliefs may color the situation, but recognizing them as opinions helps prevent them from overriding patient rights or clinical data.

The other approaches don’t support this careful, principled deliberation: deferring to the majority ignores individual patient rights and the specifics of the situation; following rules without question can overlook context and patient needs; and ignoring personal beliefs removes the nurse’s authentic moral perspective from the decision-making process.