Investigating the Association Between Nurses' Moral Courage and Nurse-Physician Interprofessional Collaboration (NPC)

Introduction Nursing practice is faced with ethical dilemmas daily, and nurses require moral courage as an element of their moral professionalism. Understanding the relationship between NPC and moral courage is critical in fostering effective patient care in healthcare settings. This study sought to determine the correlation between NPC and moral courage in a sample of nurses. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted using a census method involving 300 nurses in Iran in 2024. Data were collected using a demographics form, Nurse-Physician Professional Collaboration Questionnaire, and Nurses’ Moral Courage Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26 software. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage), Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-tests, and ANOVA were employed. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results The mean score for NPC was moderate (89.92±14.29 out of 125), while the mean score for moral courage was high (378.78±52.33 out of 510). NPC exhibited a positive and significant relationship with moral courage and its components (P <0.001). The mean score for NPC was correlated significantly with age, education, marital status, ward, secondary employment, number of monthly leaves, and employment status (P <0.05). Discussion A significant positive correlation was found between NPC and nurses’ moral courage, indicating that enhancing NPC can enable nurses to act more ethically in clinical environments. Conclusions Nursing managers should prioritize strategies that foster effective collaboration between nurses and physicians, given their demonstrated positive impact on cultivating moral courage in clinical practice.