Nursing Grand Rounds - Addressing Moral Distress by Refining Ethical Decision-Making Skills



Date & Location
Thursday, May 25, 2023, 12:00 PM - Monday, May 25, 2026, 1:00 PM

Credits
ANCC Nursing Contact Hours (1.00 hours), General Attendance (1.00 hours)

Overview

Moral distress has been described as the experience of disequilibrium when a nurse or other provider is either unable to provide optimal care for a patient or is uncertain what course of action should be taken in a complex situation. During our current pandemic, the experience of moral distress has become all too common. In this presentation what is known about nurse moral distress, its causes and effects will be discussed and illustrated with examples. A foundation for nurses to explore their own experience of moral distress/uncertainty will be provided. Finally, some strategies for nurses to address their experience and develop confidence in their ethical decision-making will be described.  

Presenter
Pamela Grace, PhD, RN, FAAN 
Associate Professor Emerita in Nursing and Ethics
William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College

Learning Outcome
By the end of the presentation, (at least 75% of) attendees will be able to describe an overview of moral distress including what it is, its’ effects on nurses and patients, and how to best address the negative effects.  

Bibliographic Material

  • American Nurses Association (2105) Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Author.

  • Beauchamp, T.L. & Childress, J.F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th. Ed.). Oxford

  • Borhani, F., Abbaszadeh, A., Nakhaee, N., & Roshanzadeh, M. (2014). The relationship between moral  distress,  professional stress, and intent to stay in the nursing profession. Journal of Medical Ethics and History  of Medicine, 7, 3

  • Epstein, E. G., & Delgado, S. (2010). Understanding and addressing moral distress. OJIN, 15(3).

  • Jameton, A. (1984). Nursing practice: The ethical issues. Prentice-Hall)

  • Morley, G., Ives, J., Bradbury-Jones, C., & Irvine, F. (2019). What is 'moral distress'? A narrative synthesis of the literature. Nursing ethics, 26(3).

  • Newby JC, Mabry MC, Carlisle BA, Olson DM, Lane BE. Reflections on Nursing Ingenuity During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal  of Neuroscience Nursing. 2020 Oct;52(5):E13-E16

  • Simonovich, S. D., Webber-Ritchey, K. J., Spurlark, R. S., Florczak, K., Mueller Wiesemann, L., Ponder, T. N., ... & Amer, K. (2022). Moral Distress Experienced by US Nurses on the Frontlines During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Nursing Policy and Practice. SAGE Open Nursing, 8, 23779608221091059.

  • Webster GC, Baylis FE. Moral residue. In: Rubin SB, Zoloth L, editors. Margin of error: The ethics of mistakes in the practice of medicine. Haggerstown: University Publishing Group; 2000. pp. 217–230.

  • Willis, D., Grace, P.J., & Roy, C. (2008). A central unifying focus for the discipline. Advances in Nursing Science, 31(1), pp. E28–E40.

Accreditation

Dartmouth Health Nursing Continuing Education Council is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

This educational activity carries 1.00 contact hour(s).

Registration/Requirements for Successful Completion
You may claim credit for successful completion of this online course. In order to claim credit, you must follow these steps:

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  2. Register for the activity.
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  4. Complete the Post-Test (attestation).
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  6. Complete and Submit the Evaluation.

Provider Contact Information
Provider contact information for questions regarding accreditation of the activity:

Center for Learning and Professional Development
CME/CNE Office
Dartmouth Health
[email protected]