Background: High disease burden and scarcity of healthcare resources present complex ethical dilemmas for nurses\nworking in developing countries. We assessed nursesââ?¬â?¢ knowledge in ethics and their perceptions about Continuous\nNursesââ?¬â?¢ Ethics Education (CNEE) for in-service nurses.\nMethods: Using an anonymous, pre-tested self-administered questionnaire, we assessed nursesââ?¬â?¢ knowledge in basic\nethics concepts at three regional hospitals in Uganda. Adequate knowledge was measured by a score ââ?°Â¥50% in the\nknowledge assessment test. Nursesââ?¬â?¢ perceptions on CNEE were assessed using a six-point Likert scale.\nResults: Of 114 nurses, 91% were female; with mean age 44.7 (SD 10) years. Half were diploma, 47 (41%) certificates,\n6 (5%) bachelorsââ?¬â?¢ degrees and one mastersââ?¬â?¢ level training. Overall, 18 (16%) scored ââ?°Â¥50% in the ethics knowledge test.\nNurses with diploma or higher level of nursing training were less likely to fail the ethics knowledge than certificate level\nnurses (OR 0.14, 95% CI: 0.02ââ?¬â??0.7). Only 45% had ever attended at least one CNEE session and up to 93% agreed\nthat CNEE is required to improve nursesââ?¬â?¢ ethics knowledge and practice.\nConclusions: Nurses exhibited low knowledge in ethics and positive attitudes towards CNEE. We recommend structured\nCNEE programs to address basic concepts in nursing ethics and their application in clinical practice.
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