Moral distress in Iranian nurses' experiences

ABSTRACT

Ethics is an integral part of nursing practice. Nurses and other professional caregivers are increasingly recognizing the issue of moral distress. The aim of this study is to describe Iranian nurses' experiences in moral distress. In this study the qualitative phenomenological approach was used. 11 nurses from teaching hospitals of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. The data were collected by in-depth interviews. Transcripts were analysed by constant comparative contant analysis. The results sorted into 4 content areas individual characteristics of team care [including knowledge, ability, experience, responsibility and mental-affective reactions [including faulty, defensive reactions, lack of motivation and laws and officials [including, limitation of laws and contradictory of laws with ethics, religion, knowledge and ability] and circumstances of workplace [including physical circumstances, manpower, facilities and equipments]. It is necessary that nurses become familiar with ethical problems, nursing code of ethics and promote the skills for encounter to moral distress