NR520 Module 5 Collaboration Café: Resolving Moral Distress

COURSE:

NR520 – Applied Theoretical Foundations Scientific Inquiry and Decision-Making

Resolving moral distress

In this module, the relationship between professional values and nursing behavior and actions was explored. Discussion focused on ethical principles that promote positive outcomes. You were introduced to an ethical framework for resolving moral distress: Ask, Affirm, Assess, and Act.

Reflect upon your nursing experience. Recall a time in which you felt moral distress and respond to the following:

• Describe the situation and explain the conflict that you experienced between professional values and the nursing practice actions or behaviors that you experienced.
• Looking ahead, how an understanding of ethical principles support a positive resolution to this type of situation?
• Describe how a decision-making model can be helpful to resolve a similar ethical dilemma.

SOLUTION

As a labor and delivery nurse, I experienced moral distress when assisting with the delivery of a baby for a patient who expressed that she did not want to keep or see the baby because it was a product of a sexual assault. This was a difficult situation because I have a professional obligation to provide compassionate, patient-centered care and my personal values about the bond between mother and her child. While I understood the patient’s trauma and respected her decision, I found it emotionally challenging to support her choice without imposing my own feelings…………………………………purchase at $5