A registered nurse may encounter moral distress when he/she has to make hard moral choices, which can result in emotional and physical suffering
A registered nurse may encounter moral distress when he/she has to make hard moral choices, which can result in emotional and physical suffering
Discussion #1 : Reply to each post with 1-2 paragraphs including references
Post#1 :Wing
A registered nurse may encounter moral distress when he/she has to make hard moral choices, which can result in emotional and physical suffering (Butts, 2015). A clinical situation, for example, a nurse may encounter moral distress when witnessing a patient is in pain, but the doctor fails to order adequate pain medication.
The AACN’s Four A’s is a guide to identify and analyze moral distress.
· Ask appropriate questions to become aware that moral distress is present.
· Affirm your distress and commitment to take care of yourself and address moral distress.
· Assess sources of your moral distress to prepare for an action plan.
· Act to implement strategies for changes to preserve your integrity and authenticity.
(Butts, 2015).
Applying Four A’s to this situation.
Ask: The nurse should ask herself if she is feeling distressed for witnessing the patient is in pain. Is there any evidence to support her belief that the doctor fails to order adequate medication causes the patient suffering?
Affirm: The nurse should validate her feeling of distress and make commitment to address the moral distress. She can talk to social worker, coworker or charge nurse of her concerns.
Assess: The nurse should ask herself what triggers the distress? Is it possible to create an action plan to address the issue?
Act: The nurse can implement her action plan, and make appropriate interventions to address the moral distress. If the nurse have enough evidence to support her belief, she can take action to talk to the provider.
Post#2-Claudia
Nikbakht Nasrabadi et al. (2021) describes moral distress as the inability of a nursing professional to take action despite knowing the ethical actions required. Moral distress is common in nursing and affects the nurses’ overall well-being. A nurse may encounter moral distress while dispensing their duties. Moral distress would involve a nurse caring for an end-of-life patient but not being offered the appropriate treatment procedure due to a conflict of ideas. For example, Mr. Smith is a 90-year-old older man who has dementia and other comorbidities and has been admitted to a nursing home. The dementia condition often makes the patient throw child-like tantrums, affecting his treatment. The nurses caring for him have incurred injuries while trying to give medication. The option for the problem would be mild sedation to calm him down, but the physician is reluctant while the patient’s power of attorney threatens legal action if the patient is sedated. In this case, the nurses are obligated to care for an unstable patient even though they know the correct ethical action for the problem.
Using the Four A’s to Rise Above Moral Distress, the nurses involved in the dilemma could evaluate the situation and seek solutions. First, the nurses must Ask about their moral distress and analyze whether it is work or personal-related. Identifying the symptoms of the situation is important, and the idea aims to become aware of the events taking place (Butts & Rich, 2022). Secondly, the nurses should Affirm the situation by enquiring from peers and affirm their professional obligation to act and address the moral distress. Thirdly, the nurses should assess the source of the problem and note if it is personal or the surroundings, and at this point, the professionals are ready to take action (Butts & Rich, 2022). Lastly, the nurses should Act on their moral distress and use professional methods to preserve their credibility as health professionals.
Moral distress is a traumatizing experience. The nurses involved in such a situation should use the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) four As to improve the situation and address the problem. The mitigation strategies should use outlined professional channels to improve their credibility.
Requirements: 1-2 paragraphs
Initial question just for reference
Describe a clinical situation in which a registered nurse may encounter moral distress. Answer the AACN’s Four A’s found on page 84 in your Butts and Rich textbook to further explain the situation and the possible mitigation strategies
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