Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39354454›Full record

ArticleBMC medical ethics2024

Moral distress and protective work environment for healthcare workers during public health emergencies.

K Bondjers, Alve K Glad, H Wøien, T Wentzel-Larsen, D Atar, S K Reitan, L A Rosseland, J A Zwart, G Dyb, S Ø Stensland

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Article in BMC medical ethics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

K BondjersNorwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway. kristina.bondjers@nkvts.no.
Alve K GladNorwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway.
H WøienDivision of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
T Wentzel-LarsenNorwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway.
D AtarDivision of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo, Norway.
S K ReitanDepartment of mental health, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
L A RosselandInstitute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
J A ZwartDepartment of Research and Innovation, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
G DybNorwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway.
S Ø StenslandNorwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway.

Funding

Norges Forskningsråd 312750
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPublic health emergencies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, put great pressure on healthcare workers (HCW) across the world, possibly increasing the risk of experiencing ethically challenging situations (ECS). Whereas experiencing ECS as a HCW in such situations is likely unavoidable, mitigation of their adverse effects (e.g., moral distress) is necessary to reduce the risk of long-term negative consequences. One possible route of mitigation of these effects is via work environmental factors.

objectivesThe current study aimed to examine: [1] risk factors associated with ECS among HCW [2], intensity of moral distress associated with ECS across various occupational factors (i.e., profession, degree of exposure to patients with Covid-19), and [3] the impact of work environmental factors on this association, in a sample of HCW during the pandemic.

methodsWe employed multiple logistic and linear regression to self-report data from 977 HCWs at four Norwegian hospitals responding to a survey at the fourth wave of the pandemic.

resultsAbout half of HCW in this study had experienced ECS during the pandemic, and levels of moral distress associated with such were higher than in previous studies using similar assessment methods. Younger age, female sex, geographical work area (mid-north of Norway), and profession (nurse) were all associated with higher odds (range of OR: 1.30-2.59) of experiencing ECS, as were direct contact with patients with Covid-19. Among those participants who reported that they had experienced ECS during the pandemic, moral distress levels when recalling those situations were moderate (Mean 5.7 on a 0-10 scale). Men reported somewhat lower intensity of moral distress (partial eta squared; ηp

conclusionsOur findings suggest that moral distress could potentially be mitigated on an organizational level, particularly by focusing on ensuring a manageable workload, and an ability to work according to best practice. To build sustainable healthcare systems robust enough to withstand future public health emergencies, healthcare organizations should implement measures to facilitate these aspects of HCWs' work environment.

Indexed as

COVID-19Health PersonnelPublic HealthWorkplaceAdultEmergenciesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNorwayPandemicsPsychological DistressRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Stress, PsychologicalEthical challenges in healthcareHealthcare organizationsHealthcare workersMoral distress

Identifiers

PMID39354454
PMCPMC11443852

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.