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Moral Stress and Moral Distress: Confronting Challenges in Healthcare Systems Under Pressure
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12 2024
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Source: Am J Bioeth. 24(12):8-22
[PDF-116.90 KB]
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Alternative Title:Am J Bioeth
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Description:Stresses on healthcare systems and moral distress among clinicians are urgent, intertwined bioethical problems in contemporary healthcare. Yet conceptualizations of moral distress in bioethical inquiry often overlook a range of routine threats to professional integrity in healthcare work. Using examples from our research on frontline physicians working during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article clarifies conceptual distinctions between |, |, and | and illustrates how these concepts operate together in healthcare work. Drawing from the philosophy of healthcare, we explain how moral stress results from the normal operations of overstressed systems; unlike moral distress and moral injury, it may not involve a sense of powerlessness concerning patient care. The analysis of moral stress directs attention beyond the individual, to stress-generating systemic factors. We conclude by reflecting on how and why this conceptual clarity matters for improving clinicians' professional wellbeing, and offer preliminary pathways for intervention.
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Pubmed ID:37347222
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC10758677
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Volume:24
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Issue:12
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