| Summary: | Background & Aims: Moral distress in the nursing profession leads to adverse complications in the workplace. Nurses experiencing moral distress may show symptoms such as confusion, fear, anxiety, and powerlessness, which lead to job dissatisfaction and failure. The present study aimed to assess the correlation between moral distress and demographic characteristics of the critical care nurses in selected teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 200 nurses engaged in the critical care units of selected teaching hospitals in Tehran. The participants were selected via proportionate stratified sampling. Data were collected using the Corley questionnaire, and data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16.
Results: The mean frequency of moral distress was 48.96 ± 18.21, which was close to the mean score of the instrument (49). The mean intensity of moral distress was 52.04 ± 18.43, which was higher than the mean score of the instrument (49). In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the frequency of moral distress and department of work (P=0.014). The frequency of moral distress was significantly lower in the ICU-OH compared to the CCU (P=0.040) and ICU (P=0.018), while the difference between ICU and CCU was not significant in this regard. A significant association was also observed between the severity of moral distress and the ward of employment (P=0.030). Moreover, the severity of moral distress was significantly lower in the ICU-OH compared to the CCU (P=0.005) and ICU (P=0.008), while no significant difference was observed between the CCU and ICU. No significant correlations were denoted between moral distress and other demographic characteristics.
Conclusion: According to the results, moral distress in the critical care nurses was moderate, which could adversely affect patient care and health of other staff. Therefore, it is recommended that nursing managers and authorities adopt proper strategies for the reduction of moral distress in critical care nurses.
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