Moral Distress: A Growing Problem in the Health Professions?

摘要

In the insightful and provocative book Final Exam, noted author and liver transplant surgeon Pauline Chen chronicles her medical education and some of the ethical dilemmas physicians face in practice.1 She describes a hierarchal and often authoritative system of care, reflecting upon the frailties of care providers as well as patients. Recurrent situations of moral distress indicate underlying systemic problems of poor communication, inadequate collaboration, and perceived powerlessness that must be addressed if we are to minimize this phenomenon in clinical settings.10 Reducing moral distress calls for identifying efficient and effective mechanisms to support health care providers who have limited time to focus on ethical issues but know that the intensity of these events lingers well beyond the occurrence.