Moral Distress in Nursing
“Moral distress occurs when a person is aware of a moral problem, acknowledges moral responsibilities, and makes a moral judgment about the correct action, yet is constrained from the self-determined morally correct action.” (Burkhardt, 2014, p.170) This may include situations where the care perceived to be appropriate is not able to be provided or situations where the nurse provides the care, even though he/she does not perceive it to be right for the patient. Fowlers (2010) supports the premises that the nurse will always protect the patient from harm, will provide care that is safe and effective and will be respectful of the dignity, worth and autonomy of the patient. However, this creates situations where moral …show more content…
If nurses at this hospital cannot find any authorities that are willing to address the problem and create a positive work environment they will only have two options. They can either stay and accept the status quo, sacrifice their personal, professional integrity and endure the moral distress or quit their job. However, if they quit their job and want to find employment at a different hospital, they will have a four hour commute that will take time away from their families which can result in moral distress …show more content…
The most recent version of the code of ethics was published by the American Nurses Association in 2010 and there are nine basic provisions included in the code. Two of them are applying to this situation. The second provision of the ANA Code of ethics says that “the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community. Most nurses will say that they believe in this concept and implement it in their practice. But, there are many times, like in this case when the nurses are frustrated that they cannot provide the right care to the patient due to physician’s orders. There will always be nurses who will argue that the primary commitment is in reality to the employer and secondary patient needs followed by policies and procedures. The third statement in the Code of Ethics is that the nurse “promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient” (ANA, 2001, p.4). The nurse in our case study wanted to advocate for her patient when she realized that the plan of care proposed by the ER physician is not in the best interest of the patient but she feels moral distress because she knew that her job was on the line if she did so. Later on she was told by her supervisor to carry out the plan without question.
It is important to realize that the nurse, the physician, and the patient may not always agree on what is “best”, but sharing and considering the different viewpoints makes
“Moral distress occurs when a person is aware of a moral problem, acknowledges moral responsibilities, and makes a moral judgment about the correct action, yet is constrained from the self-determined morally correct action.” (Burkhardt, 2014, p.170) This may include situations where the care perceived to be appropriate is not able to be provided or situations where the nurse provides the care, even though he/she does not perceive it to be right for the patient. Fowlers (2010) supports the premises that the nurse will always protect the patient from harm, will provide care that is safe and effective and will be respectful of the dignity, worth and autonomy of the patient. However, this creates situations where moral …show more content…
If nurses at this hospital cannot find any authorities that are willing to address the problem and create a positive work environment they will only have two options. They can either stay and accept the status quo, sacrifice their personal, professional integrity and endure the moral distress or quit their job. However, if they quit their job and want to find employment at a different hospital, they will have a four hour commute that will take time away from their families which can result in moral distress …show more content…
The most recent version of the code of ethics was published by the American Nurses Association in 2010 and there are nine basic provisions included in the code. Two of them are applying to this situation. The second provision of the ANA Code of ethics says that “the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community. Most nurses will say that they believe in this concept and implement it in their practice. But, there are many times, like in this case when the nurses are frustrated that they cannot provide the right care to the patient due to physician’s orders. There will always be nurses who will argue that the primary commitment is in reality to the employer and secondary patient needs followed by policies and procedures. The third statement in the Code of Ethics is that the nurse “promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient” (ANA, 2001, p.4). The nurse in our case study wanted to advocate for her patient when she realized that the plan of care proposed by the ER physician is not in the best interest of the patient but she feels moral distress because she knew that her job was on the line if she did so. Later on she was told by her supervisor to carry out the plan without question.
It is important to realize that the nurse, the physician, and the patient may not always agree on what is “best”, but sharing and considering the different viewpoints makes