Challenging times: ethics, nursing and the COVID-19 pandemic

Nurses and midwives around the world are working hard to detect COVID-19 cases, save lives, comfort in the face of death, and educate themselves and the public about protective measures. In many countries, nurses are burdened by the pandemic, with insufficient resources or personal protective equipment, overwhelming patient numbers, staff shortages, under-prepared health systems and supply chain failures. Nurses and other health and emergency workers experience physical and emotional stress and suffer morally from conflicting professional values. In practice, they face complex ethical issues, with moral conflicts, high patient mortality rates and long working hours. An increasing number of nurses are infected with SARS-CoV-2 or are dying on duty. Nurses need moral courage, perseverance and resilience to work on the front line of the pandemic, often being separated from their loved ones.