scholarly journals Erratum: A Tool Adaptation Workshop for Moral Distress in Military Critical Care Nurses

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 330-330
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Critical Care Nurses

Gender and the experience of moral distress in critical care nurses

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher B O’Connell
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Gender Difference ◽  
Intent To Leave ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Underrepresented Groups ◽  
Distress Scale

Background: Nursing practice is complex, as nurses are challenged by increasingly intricate moral and ethical judgments. Inadequately studied in underrepresented groups in nursing, moral distress is a serious problem internationally for healthcare professionals with deleterious effects to patients, nurses, and organizations. Moral distress among nurses has been shown to contribute to decreased job satisfaction and increased turnover, withdrawal from patients, physical and psychological symptoms, and intent to leave current position or to leave the profession altogether. Research question: Do significant gender differences exist in the moral distress scores of critical care nurses? Research design: This study utilized a quantitative, descriptive methodology to explore moral distress levels in a sample of critical care nurses to determine whether gender differences exist in their mean moral distress scores. Participants and research context: Participants ( n = 31) were critical care nurses from an American Internet nursing community who completed the Moral Distress Scale–Revised online over a 5-day period in July 2013. Ethical considerations: Institutional review board review approved the study, and accessing and completing the survey implied informed consent. Findings: The results revealed a statistically significant gender difference in the mean moral distress scores of participants. Females reported statistically significantly higher moral distress scores than did males. Overall, the moral distress scores for both groups were relatively low. Discussion: The findings of a gender difference have not previously been reported in the literature. However, other findings are consistent with previous studies on moral distress. Conclusion: Although the results of this study are not generalizable, they do suggest the need for continuing research on moral distress in underrepresented groups in nursing, including cultural and ethnic groups.

Moral distress of critical care nurses

1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Corley
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Private Hospital ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Moral Integrity ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Aggressive Care

BACKGROUND: Constraint of nurses by healthcare organizations, from actions the nurses believe are appropriate, may lead to moral distress. OBJECTIVE: To present findings on moral distress of critical care nurses, using an investigator-developed instrument. METHODS: An instrument development design using consensus by three expert judges, test-retest reliability, and factor analysis was used. Study participants (N = 111) were members of a chapter of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, critical care nurses employed in a large medical center, and critical care nurses from a private hospital. A 32-item instrument included items on prolonging life, performing unnecessary tests and treatments, lying to patients, and incompetent or inadequate treatment by physicians. RESULTS: Three factors were identified using factor analysis after expert consensus on the items: aggressive care, honesty, and action response. Nurses in the private hospital reported significantly greater moral distress on the aggressive care factor than did nurses in the medical center. Nurses not working in intensive care experienced higher levels of moral distress on the aggressive care factor than did nurses working in intensive care. Of the 111 nurses, 12% had left a nursing position primarily because of moral distress. CONCLUSIONS: Although the mean scores showed somewhat low levels of moral distress, the range of responses revealed that some nurses experienced high levels of moral distress with the issues. Research is needed on conditions organizations must provide to support the moral integrity of critical care nurses.

The Need for an Effective Process to Resolve Conflicts Over Medical Futility: A Case Study and Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn A. Olmstead ◽  
Michael D. Dahnke
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Medical Futility ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Practice Nurses ◽  
Court Proceedings ◽  
Court Intervention ◽  
The Right

The issue of medical futility requires a well-defined process in which both sides of the dispute can be heard and a resolution reached in a fair and ethical manner. Procedural approaches to medical futility cases provide all parties involved with a process-driven framework for resolving these disputes. Medical paternalism or the belief in the absolute rightness of the medical model will not serve to resolve these disputes. Although medical futility is first determined by medicine, in order for the determination to meet legal criteria, it must be subject to review. The hope is that through a review process that meets legal criteria, the issue can be resolved without the need for court proceedings. If resolution cannot be obtained through this process, surrogates still have the right to seek court intervention. This issue is of relevance and importance in critical care nursing because of the role and position of critical care nurses, who have direct contact with patients and patients’ families, the potential for moral distress in cases of possibly futile treatment, and the expanding roles of nurses, including critical care nurses and advanced practice nurses, in management and policy development.

Consequences of clinical situations that cause critical care nurses to experience moral distress

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra L Wiegand ◽  
Marjorie Funk
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Methodological Rigor ◽  
Descriptive Approach

Little is known about the consequences of moral distress. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical situations that caused nurses to experience moral distress, to understand the consequences of those situations, and to determine whether nurses would change their practice based on their experiences. The investigation used a descriptive approach. Open-ended surveys were distributed to a convenience sample of 204 critical care nurses employed at a university medical center. The analysis of participants’ responses used an inductive approach and a thematic analysis. Each line of the data was reviewed and coded, and the codes were collapsed into themes. Methodological rigor was established. Forty-nine nurses responded to the survey. The majority of nurses had experienced moral distress, and the majority of situations that caused nurses to experience moral distress were related to end of life. The nurses described negative consequences for themselves, patients, and families.

Relationship between moral distress and ethical climate with job satisfaction in nurses

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 346-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharareh Asgari ◽  
Vida Shafipour ◽  
Zohreh Taraghi ◽  
Jamshid Yazdani-Charati
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Ethical Climate ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Correlation Study ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Quality Of Work Life ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Moral distress and ethical climate are important issues in the workplace that appear to affect people’s quality of work life. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship of moral distress and ethical climate to job satisfaction in critical care nurses. Materials and methods: This descriptive-correlation study was conducted on 142 critical care nurses, selected from five social security hospitals in north Iran through census sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Moral Distress Scale–Revised, the Olson’s Hospital Ethical Climate Survey, and the Brayfield and Rothe Job Satisfaction index. Ethical considerations: The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and the Medical Deputy of the Social Security Organization. Findings: The mean scores obtained by the critical care nurses for moral distress, ethical climate, and job satisfaction were 87.02 ± 44.56, 3.51 ± 0.53, and 62.64 ± 9.39, respectively. Although no significant relationships were observed between moral distress and job satisfaction, the relationship between ethical climate and job satisfaction was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Identifying ethical stressors in the workplace and giving proper feedback to the authorities to eliminate these factors and improve the ethical climate in these workplaces can help enhance job satisfaction in nurses and lead to higher quality care.

scholarly journals Critical Care Nurses’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A US National Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e7
Author(s):  
Jill L. Guttormson ◽  
Kelly Calkins ◽  
Natalie McAndrew ◽  
Jacklynn Fitzgerald ◽  
Holly Losurdo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Emotional Symptoms

Background Given critical care nurses’ high prepandemic levels of moral distress and burnout, the COVID-19 pandemic will most likely have a tremendous influence on intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ mental health and continuation in the ICU workforce. Objective To describe the experiences of ICU nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods Nurses who worked in ICUs in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic were recruited to complete a survey from October 2020 through early January 2021 through social media and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Three open-ended questions focused on the experiences of ICU nurses during the pandemic. Results Of 498 nurses who completed the survey, 285 answered the open-ended questions. Nurses reported stress related to a lack of evidence-based treatment, poor patient prognosis, and lack of family presence in the ICU. Nurses perceived inadequate leadership support and inequity within the health care team. Lack of consistent community support to slow the spread of COVID-19 or recognition that COVID-19 was real increased nurses’ feelings of isolation. Nurses reported physical and emotional symptoms including exhaustion, anxiety, sleeplessness, and moral distress. Fear of contracting COVID-19 or of infecting family and friends was also prevalent. Conclusions Intensive care unit nurses in the United States experienced unprecedented and immense burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding these experiences provides insights into areas that must be addressed to build and sustain an ICU nurse workforce. Studies are needed to further describe nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify effective resources that support ICU nurse well-being.

scholarly journals Burnout, Moral Distress, and Job Turnover in Critical Care Nurses

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke A. Whittaker ◽  
Deborah R. Gillum ◽  
Judith M. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Nurse Retention ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Job Turnover ◽  
Nurse Turnover ◽  
Excessive Stress

Nurse turnover, shortages, and lack of nurse retention have all been linked to stress among nurses. This ethnographic study explored if burnout and moral distress, often a result of excessive stress, led to job turnover among critical care nurses in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. It also explored the factors that may cause burnout and moral distress in the identified population. Although burnout and moral distress have been studied in various professions and locales over the years, research specific to critical care nurses has been limited in the northern Indiana, southern Michigan area. In this study, 100% of the nurses felt that burnout and moral distress led to turnover. These same nurses attributed burnout and moral distress to affecting the quality of care given to patients. The guiding framework for this study’s design was Corley’s theory of moral distress.

Ethical conflicts and their characteristics among critical care nurses

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 537-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Lluch-Canut ◽  
Carlos Sequeira ◽  
Anna Falcó-Pegueroles ◽  
José António Pinho ◽  
Albina Rodrigues-Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Moral Dilemma ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Ethical Conflict ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Ethical Conflicts ◽  
Problematic Situations ◽  
The University

Introduction: Ethical conflict is a phenomenon that has been under study over the last three decades, especially the types moral dilemma and moral distress in the field of nursing care. However, ethical problems and their idiosyncrasies need to be further explored. Aim: The objectives of this study were, first, to obtain a transcultural Portuguese-language adaptation and validation of the Ethical Conflict Nursing Questionnaire–Critical Care Version and, second, to analyse Portuguese critical care nurses’ level of exposure to ethical conflict and its characteristics. Methods: A cross-cultural validation and descriptive, prospective and correlational study. The sample was made for 184 critical care nurses in 2016. Ethical Considerations: The study was authorised by Bioethics Commission of the University of Barcelona, the Associaçâo de Apoio ao Serviço de Cuidados Intensivos do Centro Hospitalar do Porto and the Sociedade Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental. Findings: The Portuguese version of the Ethical Conflict Nursing Questionnaire–Critical Care Version was a valid and reliable instrument to measure exposure to conflict. Moral outrage was the most common type of conflict. The most problematic situations were the ineffectiveness of analgesic treatments, the administration of treatments considered futile and the mismanagement of resources.

scholarly journals What is ‘moral distress’ in nursing? A feminist empirical bioethics study

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 1297-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Morley ◽  
Caroline Bradbury-Jones ◽  
Jonathan Ives
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Moral Uncertainty ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Conceptual Clarity

Background The phenomenon of ‘moral distress’ has continued to be a popular topic for nursing research. However, much of the scholarship has lacked conceptual clarity, and there is debate about what it means to experience moral distress. Moral distress remains an obscure concept to many clinical nurses, especially those outside of North America, and there is a lack of empirical research regarding its impact on nurses in the United Kingdom and its relevance to clinical practice. Research aim To explore the concept of moral distress in nursing both empirically and conceptually. Methodology Feminist interpretive phenomenology was used to explore and analyse the experiences of critical care nurses at two acute care trauma hospitals in the United Kingdom. Empirical data were analysed using Van Manen’s six steps for data analysis. Ethical considerations The study was approved locally by the university ethics review committee and nationally by the Health Research Authority in the United Kingdom. Findings The empirical findings suggest that psychological distress can occur in response to a variety of moral events. The moral events identified as causing psychological distress in the participants’ narratives were moral tension, moral uncertainty, moral constraint, moral conflict and moral dilemmas. Discussion We suggest a new definition of moral distress which captures this broader range of moral events as legitimate causes of distress. We also suggest that moral distress can be sub-categroised according to the source of distress, for example, ‘moral-uncertainty distress’. We argue that this could aid in the development of interventions which attempt to address and mitigate moral distress. Conclusion The empirical findings support the notion that narrow conceptions of moral distress fail to capture the real-life experiences of this group of critical care nurses. If these experiences resonate with other nurses and healthcare professionals, then it is likely that the definition needs to be broadened to recognise these experiences as ‘moral distress’.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document