Investigating the level of moral distress and its related factors among nurses in mazandaran burn center

Background and purpose: Moral distress is a common phenomenon in nursing professional and burn nurses are constantly faced with making different moral decisions for patients who are in terrible conditions. Therefore, nurses in burn units experience moral distress as mental tension. This study was conducted to determine the severity of moral distress and the factors associated with that in burn nurses. Materials and methods: A descriptive- analytical study was conducted using census sampling on 172 nurses working in Mazandaran burn center, 2014. Data was collected through identifying demographic and occupational characteristics of the nurses (using relevant questionnaires) and Corley’s Moral Distress Scale. Data analysis was performed applying Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The mean score for moral distress was 105.65±52.39 which indicates a moderate level experienced by nurses. Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant positive correlation between educational level and level of moral distress (P=0.011). There was no significant association between moral distress and other individual and professional characteristics (P>0.05). Conclusion: Moral distress is accompanied by many complications that have direct effects on nurses’ professional practice. Therefore, nurse managers should consider this issue and plan for programs on appropriate coping strategies. © 2015, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved