SynthesisJournal of advanced nursing2026
Nurses' Experiences and Perspectives of Conscientious Objection in Practice: A Qualitative Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of advanced nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Nurses' Experiences and Perspectives of Conscientious Objection in Practice: A Qualitative Systematic Review.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo examine nursing experiences and perspectives regarding conscientious objection in healthcare practice.
designQualitative Systematic Review.
methodsThe studies were identified, screened and appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) model and appraisal tools to assess the quality of the data and ensure rigorous evaluation. DATA SOURCE: Five databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Emcare, Scopus and PsycINFO, were searched from September 2024 to December 2024 to identify existing qualitative studies on nurses' experiences and perspectives on conscientious objection.
results15 studies from 1998 to 2024 were included in this review from 11 different countries. The synthesised findings identified five themes related to nurses' experiences and perspectives of conscientious objection: (1) Conflict with Moral, Ethics, Religious and Personal Beliefs and Values; (2) Conflicts with Policy and Law; (3) Work Expectations, Team Decisions and Dynamics; (4) Conflict over Care Dilemmas; (5) Forms of Conscientious Objection.
conclusionNurses from various clinical settings reported various perspectives on conscientious objection, identifying different clinical care experiences, personal ethical and religious conflicts, and ways in which they managed forms of conscientious objection in practice. The various conflicts may impact nurses by promoting burnout, stress and emotional exhaustion. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: Understanding nurses' perspectives on conscientious objection allows clinical managers, stakeholders and policymakers to give nurses an opportunity to object conscientiously based on ethical and religious beliefs and create clear guidelines for ethical decision-making. Such guidelines allow nurses to conscientiously object while still maintaining professional standards and minimising adverse effects on the care provided to patients. Allowing conscientious objection has important implications for nursing practice, particularly in balancing professional responsibilities with personal and religious convictions. REPORTING
methodThis qualitative systematic review was reported in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
trial registrationPROSPERO number: CRD42024599651.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.