Kan moral blir en belastning? : En litteraturstudie om orsaker till moralisk stress hos sjuksköterskor

Sammanfattning: Background: Ethical dilemmas are present in all areas of healthcare and arise particularly when working with patients. When a nurse has to act in contrast to what they consider to be morally correct they risk developing moral distress. Moral distress can lead to mental health problems, burnout or even a career change. The element of compassion is at the core of nursing and is present during ethical challenges and patient suffering. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate what causes moral distress in nurses.Method: A qualitative literature-review based on 19 articles. Results: The result consists of one overall theme with three main categories and ten subcategories. The overall theme was patient suffering. Main categories were: Organizational causes, internal causes and relational causes. Conclusion: Moral distress in the nursing profession is a complex multi-factored problem. Both organizational and individual-focused solutions need to be implemented to reduce moral distress and there by reduce burnout and mental health problems in nurses. Future research in this area should focus on nurses and how they can better manage and cope with moral stress.