Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
Problem: According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), moral distress (MD) is a major issue in the healthcare profession (2015). Many healthcare workers (HCW) are not aware of MD. The inability to recognize MD may lead to departing the profession.
Purpose: To offer an educational workshop about MD 1) explore the frequency and level of MD (2) establish a decision tree to mitigate MD.
Background: MD occurs when a person understands what they should do but cannot, due to organizational policies. The pandemic has exacerbated MD.
Design: A mixed-method study: Measure of Moral Distress for -Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP) tool to collect frequency and level of MD before and after education. An assessment of the utility of the decision tree was conducted using a qualitative survey.
Major Findings: The participants displayed a range of 0-253 as the level of moral distress. This study revealed no difference in the level of moral distress before (M= 0.99, SE= 0.17) or after (M =1.6, SE = 0.14) education t(44)= -2.60. p 0.012. Data indicated that age (rs= .35, p> .05), level of education (rs 0.04 p=0.7), and years of experience (rs=0.31, p.03), did not correlate with level and frequency of moral distress. Results indicated the nursing group had significantly higher moral distress as compared to administration, and the ancillary group (Welch's F (2, 24.03) = 17.45, p < .001). The decision tree that the participants created during the intervention was found to be user-friendly.
Keywords: [Moral distress, Decision Tree, MMD-HP]
Recommended Citation
Milton, Tijuana; Culpa-Bondal, Flor; Winn, Sheryl; and Hagerty, Debra, "Implementation of a Decision Tree to Address Moral Distress" (2022). Graduate Research Showcase. 45.
https://kb.gcsu.edu/grposters/45