Moral distress in undergraduate nursing students.Simoní Saraiva Bordignon,Valéria Lerch Lunardi,Edison Luiz Devos Barlem,Graziele de Lima Dalmolin,Rosemary Silva da Silveira,Flávia Regina Souza Ramos &Jamila Geri Tomaschewski Barlem -2019 -Nursing Ethics 26 (7-8):2325-2339.detailsBackground: Moral distress is considered to be the negative feelings that arise when one knows the morally correct response to a situation but cannot act because of institutional or hierarchal constraints. Objectives: To analyze moral distress and its relation with sociodemographic and academic variables in undergraduate students from different universities in Brazil. Method: Quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected through the Moral Distress Scale for Nursing Students, with 499 nursing students from three universities in the extreme south (...) of Brazil answering the scale. The data were analyzed in the statistical software SPSS version 22.0, through descriptive statistical analysis, association tests (t-test and analysis of variance), and linear regression models. Ethical considerations: Approval for the study was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. Findings: The mean intensity of moral distress in the constructs ranged from 1.60 to 2.55. As to the occurrence of situations leading to moral distress in the constructs, the frequencies ranged from 1.21 to 2.43. The intensity level of moral distress showed higher averages in the more advanced grades of the undergraduate nursing course, when compared to the early grades of this course (between 5 and 10 grade, average = 2.60–3.14, p = 0.000). Conclusion: The demographic and academic characteristics of the undergraduate nursing students who referred higher levels of moral distress were being enrolled in the final course semesters, were at a federal university, and had no prior degree as an auxiliary nurse/nursing technician. (shrink)
Moral Distress: An Innovative and Important Subject to Study in Brazil: Commentary on “A Reflection on Moral Distress in Nursing Together With a Current Application of the Concept” by Andrew Jameton.Valéria Lerch Lunardi -2013 -Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 10 (3):309-312.detailsThere have been recurrent reports of fragilities in the Brazilian health system, especially in public institutions. In this commentary, I argue that moral distress in nursing in Brazil can still be considered an innovative and important subject of study. I also highlight the relevance of engaging educational institutions in the development of policies about environmental sustainability. It is relevant to continue studying moral distress in nursing and in health care generally in order to contribute to the transformation of reality by (...) confronting the multiple common situations in the work environment that are recognized by many as morally problematic because they infringe upon the rights of people, patients, and health care professionals and are an affront to environmental health. (shrink)
Moral distress and professors of nursing: A cluster analysis.Aline Marcelino Ramos Toescher,Edison Luiz Devos Barlem,Valéria Lerch Lunardi,Aline Neutzling Brum,Jamila Geri Tomaschewski Barlem &Graziele de Lima Dalmolin -2020 -Nursing Ethics 27 (4):1157-1167.detailsBackground Professors of nursing sometimes experience specific situations in their daily practice that conflict with their values and ethical principles and may culminate in moral distress. Moral distress occurs when one is prevented from acting according to his or her knowledge or values, or what one considers to be ethically sound. Objectives To identify the profile of professors of nursing through grouping sociodemographic characteristics and intensity of moral distress. Method Cross-sectional and exploratory study addressing 373 nurses teaching in Brazilian federal (...) public higher education institutions. Data were collected from June to December 2018 through email, using the Google Docs tool. A moral distress scale directed to nurse educators was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, variance analysis, and cluster analysis. Ethical considerations The Institutional Review Board at the Federal University of Rio Grande approved this study. Findings Initially, four clusters emerged for each variable predicting the profile of Brazilian professors of nursing: sex; whether the individual worked in a graduate program; age; experience in years in their respective higher education institution; and intensity of moral distress. The profile of Brazilian professors of nursing was represented by the largest cluster, 36.5% (n = 136), composed of women working in graduate programs, aged 37 years old on average, having worked in their respective institutions for approximately 5 years, and presenting a moderate intensity of moral distress. Conclusion Assigning individuals into groups facilitates seeing similarities among the predictors that compose the profile of Brazilian professors of nursing, thus recognizing those workers experiencing moral distress in their daily work routine. In addition, this study’s results are expected to encourage reflection on the planning of efficacious interventions directed to the context of education and health. (shrink)