Critical Care Nurses’ Perceptions of Ethical Distresses and Workplace Stressors in the Intensive Care Units

Intensive care nurses are confronted daily with increasing work demands, emanating from the caring for patients who are relentlessly exposed to illness, suffering, death and the emotional demands from families regarding their loved ones, increased workloads and the introduction of highly sophisticated technologies; this means that nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) are encountered ethical distresses and workplace stressors more often than general medical-surgical nurses. An adverse experience of ethical distress is termed “moral distress”. Failure to alleviate moral distress and workplace stressors can impact the quality of patient care and nurse leading to job stress and burnout, job dissatisfaction, and departure from the work environment and/or nursing.^(1–5).

Aim of this study was to explore the critical care nurses’ perceptions of ethical and workplace distresses in the intensive care units.

A convenience sample of 100 critical care nurses working in the intensive & coronary care units and emergency care department was recruited. A descriptive, questionnaire – based study was used.

The results of the current study revealed that, the highest levels of ethical distresses encountered by nurses were concerned with the quality of patient care. Working with physicians and nurses who are not as competent as patient care requires were the most morally distressing situations. Regarding to the CCNs’ perceptions and experiences about stressful events in the critical care environment, results revealed that, the most stressful workplace situation was conflict with other nurses and supervisors.

Critical care nurses commonly encounter situations that are associated with high levels of ethical and workplace distresses that may have implications on the quality of patients’ care, job satisfaction and job retention.