Moral Distress Healthcare Providers in Spain: Observational Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Ethics
• Occupational Health
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Moral distress (MD) impacts healthcare professionals, potentially influenced by patient population complexity.
• Ethical climate within hospitals is a critical factor affecting professional well-being.
• Understanding MD drivers is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate moral distress in pediatric and adult care settings.
• To determine if pediatric care complexity increases moral distress.
• To assess the ethical climate in relation to moral distress.

Main Methods:

• An observational study involving 169 Spanish healthcare professionals.
• Electronic distribution of a 58-item questionnaire.
• Utilized the Measure of Moral Unrest for Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP-SPA) and Hospital Ethical Climate Survey (HECS).

Main Results:

• Nurses reported significantly higher moral distress than physicians and technicians.
• Physicians treating adult patients experienced higher moral distress than those treating pediatric patients.
• The medical group scored higher on the ethical climate survey than the nursing group.

Conclusions:

• Adult care physicians exhibit higher moral distress than pediatric care physicians.
• The MMD-HP-SPA is a valid tool for detecting MD in hospital units.
• Interventions can mitigate MD and improve the hospital ethical climate.