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Published on: July 4, 2018
Relationship Between Clinical Decision-Making and Moral Distress in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A
Monir Nobahar1, Raheb Ghorbani, Zeinab Alipour
1Author Affiliations: Nursing Care Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran(Professor Nobahar); Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran(Professor Nobahar); Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran (Professor Ghorbani); Social Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran(Professor Ghorbani); and Student Research Committee, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran(Mss Alipour, and Jahan).
This study found no significant link between clinical decision-making and moral distress in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses. However, factors like age and education influenced decision-making, while marital status impacted distress levels.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Science
- Clinical Psychology
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses face complex ethical challenges and high-stress situations.
- Clinical decision-making in critical neonatal care can lead to moral distress among nurses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between clinical decision-making and moral distress experienced by nurses in the NICU.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional, multicenter study involving 190 NICU nurses.
- Data collected via demographic questionnaires, Clinical Decision-Making Laurie Scale, and Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R).
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between clinical decision-making and moral distress (r = -0.03, P = .684).
- Low overall moral distress scores were reported.
- Intuitive analysis was common in decision-making (57.9%); age, education, and job position correlated with decision-making; marital status and having children inversely correlated with moral distress.
Conclusions:
- A significant portion of nurses (20%) used interpretive intuitive decision-making, highlighting care complexities.
- Nursing management should focus on enhancing NICU nurses' decision-making strategies.
- Future research should employ mixed methods to further explore decision-making processes and moral distress in NICU nurses.
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