Resilience as an Incomplete Strategy for Coping With Moral Distress in Critical Care Nurses
1Lucia D. Wocial is an adjunct assistant professor, Indiana University School of Nursing, and a nurse ethicist, Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Topic:
Moral distress is receiving increasing attention in health care. The theoretical value of resilience as a strategy for coping with moral distress is prominent in the literature.
Clinical Relevance:
The potential negative consequences of moral distress for nurses are indisputable, driving a push to identify interventions to help nurses deal with the experience. The evidence that resilience is an important quality and skill for maintaining wellness is equally clear.
Purpose:
To review moral distress and resilience and examine the evidence for the new focus on resilience.
Content Covered:
The complexity of both moral distress and resilience suggests that resilience by itself is an incomplete strategy for coping with and addressing moral distress.
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