First Study to Discuss Emotional and Psychological Anguish of Nurses in Burn Units

In a study of the first of its kind, Loyola University Medical Center researchers examine and discuss the "moral distress" that nurses experience while in intensive care units with burn patients.

Lead study author Jeanie M. Leggett, RN, BSN, MA and colleagues look at the painful feelings and associated mental anguish that goes along with care in such an environment.

The study notes that the concept of moral distress among health care workers was first identified in the late 1980s, and research on the topic has been accelerated during the past decade. Yet until now, there has never been a specific study that examines moral distress among nurses in a burn intensive care unit.

"Given the intense and potentially distressing nature of nursing in a burn ICU, it is reasonable to hypothesize that nurses in these settings are likely to experience some level of moral distress," Leggett and co-authors Katherine Wasson, PhD, MPH; James M. Sinacore, PhD; and Richard L. Gamelli, MD, FACS wrote, via a press release.

Study authors conducted a pilot study that included 13 nurses in the Loyola's burn ICU who participated in a four-week educational intervention in order to decrease moral distress. This intervention consisted of one-hour weekly sessions.

The nurses were asked to complete a questionnaire called the Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R) that measures the intensity and frequency of moral distress, which was divided into two groups: one who completed the survey before the intervention and one after.

Surprisingly, researchers found that those who took the survey after the intervention had higher levels of moral distress. This group had a median moral distress score of 92, while the others had a score of 40.5.

"They were able to identify and diagnose moral distress in themselves . . . It is also possible that spending four hours over one month talking about and analysing moral distress raised awareness of the phenomenon."

"They appreciated the individual sessions and case discussions, felt the session lengths were appropriate and expressed validation of their feelings of moral distress after having participated," researchers wrote, via the release. "They indicated that learning the definition of moral distress was valuable, found it helpful to learn that others in similar work environments were experiencing moral distress and appreciated hearing what others do to cope with moral distress. Participants expressed a desire for this type of intervention to continue in the future and for more time to be spent on coping strategies."

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More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of Burn Care and Research.