The relationship between moral distress and retention in nurses in Birjand teaching hospitals

Moral distress is one of the common issues in nursing that has been receiving a lot of attention in research related to this profession. Moral distress is a phenomenon that can impact nurses، patients and health systems greatly. One significant impact of moral distress on nurses is its role on their desire to continue to work in their profession، and the present cross-sectional، descriptive and analytical study was conducted in order to determine this impact. Study samples were nurses in Birjand teaching hospitals who were selected through polls and according to entrance criteria. A 22-item questionnaire was developed by combining demographic information، Corley’s moral distress scale and the nurses’ desire to stay in the profession. The questionnaire was translated from English by the researcher and its validity and reliability were assessed. The results indicated that there is no significant relationship between moral distress and the desire to stay in the nursing profession (P>0/05). Moreover، levels of moral distress in the nurses in this study were moderate 2. 25±0. 6 (mean±SD) Given the level of moral distress in nurses and its possible consequences، strategies and solutions should be devised to familiarize nurses with moral distress and its underlying factors in order to reduce the undesirable outcomes of this phenomenon more effectively.