Title : Cultivating moral resilience to reduce moral distress in nursing students
Abstract:
Complex healthcare environments create ethical challenges, many times placing nurses in situations of limited influence and advocacy, resulting in moral distress. Moral distress is defined as a lack of internal moral peace or a struggle between what the nurse understands as ethically correct and the circumstances of a situation. The prevalence of moral distress has been documented in the literature, occurring to as many as 95% of nurses. Further, up to 50% of nurses planning to leave the profession cite moral distress as a key driver in the decision. The consequences of moral distress can be far reaching and impact patient outcomes, nurse wellbeing, feelings of empowerment and retention. Moral resilience refers to the capacity of nurses to sustain or restore their integrity in response to moral adversity and has been found to be an effective strategy to mitigate the impact of moral distress. A key tenet outlined in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics recognizes the nurse’s duty to themselves and patients to preserve integrity and promote growth, as in moral resilience. Evidence suggests that systematic approaches found in moral resilience initiatives that focus on proactive approaches are effective in developing and restoring ethical practice and moral peace. Providing these tools to nursing students can improve resilience and inner peace and positively influence care.
