Ethical conflicts in nursing care: dilemmas, professional burnout and coping strategies

Introduction: nursing professionals are the main direct care health personnel in the different care services, focused on human care; however, work overload affects the emotional-physical health of the professional. Therefore, it was proposed to analyze the ethical questions that occur in nursing staff during care that causes professional burnout, as well as the coping strategies implemented to overcome them. Method: a bibliographic review of original scientific articles in Spanish, English and Portuguese was carried out; 30 studies were selected by convenience sampling from indexed sources such as SCOPUS, Scielo, and Dialnet; these were organized in an Excel matrix for their analysis by applying the CASPe critical reading rubric. Results: professionals face several challenges in their work activities, which makes it necessary to implement stress management techniques, such as meditation or breathing exercises, which help them to remain calm in high-pressure situations. Conclusions: the nursing professional currently faces highly complex and demanding situations in health care services. Psychosocial factors such as work overload, lack of organizational support, and low autonomy at work are key determinants in the development of this syndrome. The implementation of programs that address both ethical dilemmas and coping strategies is essential to preserve the mental health of professionals and ensure quality patient care.