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To describe intensive care unit nurses' experiences of moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their recommendations for mitigative interventions.
Interpretive description.
Data were collected with a purposeful sample of 40 Canadian intensive care unit nurses between May and September 2021. Nurses completed a demographic questionnaire, the Measure of Moral Distress—Healthcare Professionals survey and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were categorized and synthesized using reflexive thematic analysis and rapid qualitative analysis.
Half of the nurses in this sample reported moderate levels of moral distress. In response to moral distress, nurses experienced immediate and long-term effects across multiple health domains. To cope, nurses discussed varied reactions, including action, avoidance and acquiescence. Nurses provided recommendations for interventions across multiple organizations to mitigate moral distress and negative health outcomes.
Nurses reported that moral distress drove negative health outcomes and attrition in response to moral events in practice. To change these conditions of moral distress, nurses require organizational investments in interventions and cultures that prioritize the inclusion of nursing perspectives and voices.
Nurses engage in a variety of responses to cope with moral distress. They possess valuable insights into the practice issues central to moral distress that have significant implications for all members of the healthcare teams, patients and systems. It is essential that nurses' voices be included in the development of future interventions central to the responses to moral distress.
This study adheres to COREQ guidelines.
Given the known structural, systemic and environmental factors that contribute to intensive care unit nurses' experiences of moral distress, and ultimately burnout and attrition, it was important to learn about their experiences of moral distress and their recommendations for organizational mitigative interventions. Documentation of these experiences and recommendations took on a greater urgency during the context of a global health emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, where such contextual influences on moral distress were less understood.
Over half of the nurses reported a moderate level of moral distress. Nurses who were considering leaving nursing practice reported higher moral distress scores than those who were not considering leaving. In response to moral distress, nurses experienced a variety of outcomes across several health domains. To cope with moral distress, nurses engaged in patterns of action, avoidance and acquiescence. To change the conditions of moral distress, nurses desire organizational interventions, practices and culture changes situated in the amplification of their voices.
These findings will be of interest to: (1) researchers developing and evaluating interventions that address the complex phenomenon of moral distress, (2) leaders and administrators in hospitals, and relevant healthcare and nursing organizations, and (3) nurses interested in leveraging evidence-informed recommendations to advocate for interventions to address moral distress.
This paper advances the body of scientific work on nurses' experiences of moral distress, capturing this phenomenon within the unique context of a global health emergency. Nurses' levels of moral distress using Measure of Moral Distress—Healthcare Professional survey were reported, serving as a comparator for future studies seeking to measure and evaluate intensive care unit nurses' levels of moral distress. Nurses' recommendations for mitigative interventions for moral distress have been reported, which can help inform future interventional studies.
No patient or public contribution.
Commentary on: Abbott L, Scott T, Thomas H. Experiences of midwifery care in English prisons. Birth. 2023 Mar;50(1):244-251. doi: 10.1111/birt.12692. Epub 2022 Nov 12.
Incarceration presents barriers to best midwifery practices, restricting patient choice in care provider and place of birth. Midwives play an important role advocating for incarcerated patients. Prison staff misunderstand midwifery and conceptualise access to care as a reward for good behaviour. Future research should assess outcomes of alternatives to incarceration.
Women continue to be one of the fastest growing populations experiencing incarceration, with significant consequences for their newborns and children. Despite international and national requirements for equivalent care to what is available in community, existing research in the field of prison perinatal health has found delays and gaps in care and poor neonatal outcomes associated with pregnancy in prison.
To report the results of a mapping exercise by the European Federation of Nurses on current advanced practice nursing frameworks and developments across Europe.
Online, cross-sectional, questionnaire study.
An online questionnaire was distributed among 35 national nurses' associations across Europe in March 2021. The questionnaire solicited input on 60 items concerning key features of advanced practice nursing, intending to map existing developments and better understand the current state of advanced practice nursing in Europe. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, including counts and percentages, tabulation; open-text responses were handled with thematic synthesis techniques.
The definition, sense-making and operationalization of advanced practice nursing vary across Europe. Important variations were noted in the definition and requirements of advanced practice nursing, resulting in different views on the competencies and scope of practice associated with this role. Importantly, the level of education and training required to qualify and practice as an advanced practice nurse varies across European countries. Furthermore, only 11 countries reported the existence of a national legislation establishing minimum educational requirements.
Significant variation exists in how countries define advanced practice nursing and how it is regulated at academic and practice levels. More research is needed to clarify whether this variation results from designing models of advanced practice nursing that work in different contexts; and what impact a standardized regulatory framework could have to grow the volume of advanced practice nurses across Europe.
The current paper exposes the lack of clarity on the development and implementation of advanced practice nursing across Europe. We found significant variation in the definition, recognition, regulation and education of advanced practice nurses. Our data are essential to policymakers, professional associations and employers to ensure a coordinated and systematic effort in the consistency and ongoing development of advanced practice nurses across Europe.
No patient or public contribution applied; the participants were national nurses' associations.
This is a summary of See et al. Newly registered nurses experience high levels of emotional exhaustion, stress and burnout, with high attrition rates in the first-year post-qualification. The purpose of this review was to consolidate the available evidence on the experiences of newly registered nurses transitioning from the role of student nurse to that of registered nurse.
Thirty-one studies were included in the review, comprising thirty qualitative and one mixed-method study. A total of 452 newly registered nurses were enrolled across the studies from Australia, Canada, Singapore, England, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan and Taiwan. Four themes were identified: knowledge deficit, overwhelming clinical practice, importance of workplace support and the meaning of ‘being a nurse’. Twenty-four studies discussed how newly graduated registered nurses experienced anxiety,...
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