Moral distress: evaluating nurse's experiences

Moral distress is considered as an important issue in nursing. Nurses participation in ethical decision making and taking deliberate action are facing them with many ethical challenges in their work environment. Confronting those challenges can lead to moral distress.This descriptive study was conducted to determine moral distress and its contributing factors from the perspective of oncology nurses in Tehran teaching hospitals in 2011.Data collection was done through a demographic questionnaire, the Moral Distress Scale – revised (MDS-R) and a questionnaire on moral distress related factors administered to all oncology nurses with inclusion criteria.Findings showed that nurses reported a high level of moral distress overall. The highest level of moral distress was associated with giving inadequate information to patients about informed consent and carrying out a physicians’ order for unnecessary tests and treatments. A significant correlation was found between oncology nurses’ age, their work experience and employment status with moral distress. Institutional factors such as managers’ support, nurses’ autonomy and having determined duties had the greatest effect on moral distress from oncology nurses’ view. Oncology nurses commonly encounter situations that are associated with high levels of moral distress, and therefore strategies need to be developed in order to mitigate moral distress.