Relationship between moral sensitivity of nurses and quality of nursing care for patients with COVID-19

This study aimed to: (1) assess the level of moral sensitivity of nurses and the quality of nursing care for patients with COVID-19 in Iran; and (2) identify the relationship between the moral sensitivity of nurses and the quality of nursing care for patients with COVID-19 in Iran.

This study was designed as a descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational research.

A total of 211 nurses working in four hospitals affiliated with the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in Iran from December 2021 to April 2022 were selected via the stratified proportional random sampling method. Demographic information, a moral sensitivity questionnaire, and the Good Nursing Care Scale were used for data collection. The data were analysed by SPSS 24 based on descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression).

Results revealed that 188 of the nurses (89.1%) had a moderate level of moral sensitivity. Furthermore, 160 of the participants (75.8%) reported a relatively low level of the quality of nursing care. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient test indicated that there was an inverse and significant relationship between the moral sensitivity of nurses and the quality of nursing care (r = -0.528, p < 0.001). The results of multiple regression indicated that the model of moral sensitivity components explained 27.9% of the variance in the quality of nursing care. The components of moral sensitivity, including relation (β = -0.246, p < 0.001), meaning (β = -0.188, p = 0.003), conflict (β = -0.170, p = 0.008), benevolence (β = -0.153, p = 0.012), and rules (β = -0.144, p = 0.019) had inverse and significant effects on the quality of nursing care.

Since higher mean scores of moral sensitivity reflect lower moral sensitivity, it can be stated that with the increase in moral sensitivity of nurses, the quality of nursing care for patients with COVID-19 grows.