Study title

Ethics of the ordinary, amplified: Canadian intensive care unit nurses’ responses to moral distress experienced in their professional practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research Team

Paige Gehrke, Dr. Ruth Hannon, Dr. Jennifer Tsang, Dr. Susan Jack (PI)

Funding

Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses Research Grant [September 2021-December 2023] ($2500)

About the Study

Guided by interpretive description design, the aim of this study was to learn about the different ways in which intensive care unit (ICU) nurses experienced moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The focus of this research was to describe:

• Conditions of moral distress
• Outcomes (e.g., psychological, physical, spiritual, social, relational) nurses experienced in response to moral distress
• Nurses’ personal reactions to cope with or mitigate moral distress
• Nurses’ descriptions of ineffective and effective organizational interventions to mitigate moral distress
• Nurses’ desired organizational interventions to mitigate moral distress

From May – September 2021 interviews were conducted with 40 ICU nurses to learn about these experiences and to know more about what supports they need. Details about the study methods as well as a summary of key findings are highlighted in the study infographics.

For more information about this study, please contact Paige Gehrke, McMaster University ([email protected]).

Study infographics