When nurses are forced to make care decisions that go against their values, the conflict of conscience can take an emotional toll
The concepts of moral injury and moral distress came to the fore in nursing during the COVID pandemic when, says mental health nurse researcher Emily Wood, healthcare professionals were being placed in difficult circumstances. They were, for example, making decisions about which of the sickest patients could be admitted to a limited number of intensive care beds.
Nursing Standard. 38, 4, 25-26. doi: 10.7748/ns.38.4.25.s14
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