variables, and means and standard deviations for continuous variables.
Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare ethical statements. The
Fisher’s exact test was used when the data contained only a few observations in
one of the cells (e.g. less than five). The primary outcome was measured with
the statement ‘Doctors and nurses have a duty to care for the sick, even when
there are high risks for themselves or their families’. This was calculated as
the percentage reporting agreement and disagreement with the statement.
To evaluate the associations between well-being and agreement with the duty to
care, the level of well-being was also coded as a dichotomous answer: low or
high well-being. Differences within and between groups of nurses from the two
countries were investigated, using chi-square tests, with a p< 0.05 being accepted as statistically significant. Statistical analyses were
performed using SPSS v. 21.0 for Windows (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA).