The Relationship between Moral Distress and Safe Nursing Care in Emergency Wards Nurses

The qualities of care in emergency wards (EWs) represent the general state of all services provided in the hospital. Nurses, as the largest group of health care providers, play a significant role in the quality and safety of health services and they are often involved in moral situations and moral decisions in clinical situations. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between moral distress and the quality of safe nursing care in emergency department nurses.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the EWs of teaching hospitals in Tehran in 2018. Data were collected through the Corleychr('39')s Moral Distress Scale (CMDS) (2004) and Rashvandchr('39')s Assessment of Safe Nursing Care (ASNC). Data analyzed using the IBM SPSS software (Version 22) by using descriptive statistics (frequency distribution, mean index, and standard deviation) and Pearson correlation tests, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA.

The mean score of moral distress in EW nurses was high. The mean score of the quality of safe nursing care was also moderate. There was a negative significant correlation between the quality of safe nursing care and moral distress frequency (r=-0.057, p=0.014) and a significant negative correlation between the quality of safe nursing care and the severity of moral distress (r=-0.038, p=0.022).

Given the correlation between quality of safe nursing care and moral distress in EW nurses, health planners and administrators are suggested to reflect on this issue and successively develop and implement appropriate programs such as holding symposiums With the aim of making effective changes in procedures, and taking advantage of nurseschr('39') opinions, to prevent and reduce moral distress.