Nurses’ Characteristics Associated with Moral Distress and Coping Program in Selected Government Hospitals in Shandong, China

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the nurses’ profile characteristics that are associated with moral distress among nurses in selected government hospitals in Shangdong, China. Methods: This is a descriptive-correlational study. A total of 185 clinical registered nurses who met the eligibility criteria from different departments in two tertiary governmental hospitals in Jinan city were purposively selected to participate in this study. The instruments included the general demographic characteristics and Chinese version of Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R). Correlation technique, specifically Spearman’s rho, was utilized to determine the significant correlation between the selected nurse’s characteristics and moral distress. Ethical considerations were given by the Far Eastern University ethics review committee (FEU-ERC Code:2020-2021-079). Results: The number of patients nurses handled per shift (rs= 0.650, p= 0.032) and the type of patients that nurses handled (rs = 0.718, p= 0.020) are the nurses’ profile factors that are significantly correlated with nurses’ moral distress (p-value < 0.05). As there is an increase in the number of patients handled every shift and the patients are becoming unstable, requiring complex care, the frequency and intensity of moral distress increase as well. Conclusion: The nurses’ moral distress was registered at a low level in this study. Characteristics related to patients, such as the number and type assigned to nurses, are correlated to moral distress. The main source of the high frequency and intensity of moral distress among nurses is “futile care” and “false hope”. Educational learning program is recommended to manage and alleviate the moral distress of nurses.