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Chapter 6 - Moral Distress

from Section 1 - The Context of Healthcare Ethics Committee Work

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2022

By
Lucia Wocial
Edited by
D. Micah Hester  and
Toby L. Schonfeld
D. Micah Hester
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine
Toby L. Schonfeld
Affiliation:
National Center for Ethics in Health Care, US Department of Veterans Affairs
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Summary

When healthcare providers (HCPs) feel a violation of their core values or a violation of their integrity, this can lead to the experience of moral distress. First discussed and studied among critical care nurses, the growing body of research now confirms that moral distress is an issue that affects all HCPs and ultimately the quality of patient care (Austin et al., 2017). The three cases above illustrate some of the ethically challenging situations that may lead to HCP distress and a request for assistance from healthcare ethics committees (HECs). Not all distress is moral distress. Likewise, a claim of moral distress is not evidence that the individual experiencing moral distress has moral privilege or that there is an ethical violation. HECs need skills in differentiating moral distress from other types of distress so that they can identify how to intervene to support the HCP who is in distress. The most essential skill is helping HCPs explore their distress. Left unexplored, HCPs may fail to appreciate the ethical nuances of a situation and prematurely judge their or others’ actions. They may conclude that moral distress is only their problem and not understand that oftentimes, moral distress reflects systems issues within an organization. This chapter will explore moral distress and the potential role HECs can play in addressing this prevalent problem in health care.

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Chapter
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Guidance for Healthcare Ethics Committees , pp. 47 - 55
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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