title: Moral distress in critical care nurses: a phenomenological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore and understand moral distress from the perspective of and as experienced by critical care nurses in Korea.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The concept of moral distress among critical care nurses must be more broadly explored using a qualitative approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Giorgi's phenomenological research approach was used.
  
  
  METHODS
  A purposive sampling was used to select 14 critical care nurses. In-depth face-to-face interviews were performed in Korea from March 2012-December 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five main themes of moral distress emerged: (1) ambivalence towards treatment and care (notably prioritizing work tasks over human dignity, unnecessary medical treatments and the compulsory application of restraints); (2) suffering resulting from a lack of ethical sensitivity; (3) dilemmas resulting from nurses' limited autonomy in treatments; (4) conflicts with physicians; and (5) conflicts with institutional policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Staff shortages are aggravated by high staff turnover caused by ethical suffering. The resulting lack of staff can, in turn, give rise to added ethical conflicts as part of a vicious circle, leading to decreased patient satisfaction.
authors: Department of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Kwisoon
authors: K
authors: Choe
authors: College of Nursing Science, East-West Nursing Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Youngmi
authors: Y
authors: Kang
authors: Department of Nursing, Kunsan National University, Kunsan, Korea.
authors: Youngrye
authors: Y
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: critical care nurses; moral distress; phenomenological research