Moral distress among intensive care unit professions in the UK: a mixed-methods study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the experience of moral distress among intensive care unit (ICU) professionals in the UK.

Design

Mixed methods: validated quantitative measure of moral distress followed by purposive sample of respondents who underwent semistructured interviews.

Setting

Four ICUs of varying sizes and specialty facilities.

Participants

Healthcare professionals working in ICU.

Results

227 questionnaires were returned and 15 interviews performed. Moral distress occurred across all ICUs and professional demographics. It was most commonly related to providing care perceived as futile or against the patient's wishes/interests, followed by resource constraints compromising care. Moral distress score was independently influenced by profession (p=0.02) (nurses

SUBMITTER: Boulton AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10151959 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature