How HCPs can Handle Moral Distress

Few people understand just how mentally demanding healthcare work can truly be. Healthcare providers (HCPs) are tasked with protecting the lives of the sick and injured, and oftentimes situations are ambiguous and messy. This can directly lead to “moral distress,” which can cripple an HCP’s ability to respond quickly and offer effective healthcare solutions. Where does moral distress stem from, and what can be done to combat it? This article will answer all this and more.

What is moral distress? 

Put simply, moral distress is an acute and crippling sense of “helplessness.” Healthcare providers feel like they know what is “ethically correct, but are unable to follow through or are tasked to carry out a completely different task. In an article from the Catholic Health Association, the author recounts a story where patients refuse much-needed pain medication because they viewed the suffering as “spiritually edifying.”

What are other examples of moral distress in healthcare?

This is just one example of circumstances preventing HCPs from providing necessary treatment. Nurses may also find themselves limited thanks to skewed staffing ratios, or limited resources on the facility’s part. They could also find themselves in a situation where continued life support does little good, but the patient families do not budge. The height of the pandemic brought a new dimension to this, as HCPs were forced to tell patients they could not see their dying relatives because the facility was in quarantine. Some nurses even had to provide treatment without PCPs or proper protection, thanks to limited resources. Though these days are over, the trauma inflicted remains.

How does this affect HCPs?

If left unchecked, moral distress can seriously hamper the effectiveness of a healthcare provider. Their frustrations about the situation in front of them can result in feelings of guilt, a sense of hopelessness, and even physical headaches. Left unaddressed, moral distress can even cause nurses to feel depressed or emotionally withdrawn from their work.

As a result, an HCP’s ability to provide effective healthcare may be hampered and their mental wellbeing overall is put at risk. A number of different studies have pointed at a positive correlation between higher levels of depression and an increase of medical errors, in the healthcare workplace. It is no exaggeration saying that moral distress puts both patients and the HCPs themselves at risk.

What can be done about Moral Distress?

Living with Moral Distress can be a draining and extremely stressful experience. Luckily, HCPs do not have to tackle it alone. First off, simply acknowledging that you have moral distress can be a huge step. The conversation around mental health in hospitals has progressed a long way in a very short time, but there is still work to be done. See if you have any of the symptoms, identify the root cause, and acknowledge that you may be going through moral distress.

 A strong support system with fellow healthcare workers can also make a huge difference, for example. You can gain insights on how to cope with the condition from individuals who have experienced similar struggles. It can be hard for non-HCPs to relate to your feelings, so talking to workers who have been there before is a huge relief.

If concern has seriously gotten to you, then you can speak out to your superiors or supervisors. Be as respectful as possible, as you lay out your current situation and why there are no easy answers. While there is no guarantee that things will be resolved, there is a chance that your supervisors can assist with finding alternate solutions or compromises.