2.Y.1. PechaKucha: Moral distress and injury in health and care workforce in Europe

Abstract The concepts of moral distress and injury were originally described among soldiers during wars and conflict, law enforcement agents, and nurses, with growing interest in their importance in other health professions. Public health professionals routinely face tough ethical decisions and face morally ambiguous situations, and are consequently vulnerable to moral distress and injury. Nanny state accusations and slurs in day to day practice by politicians and the public may also cause anxiety and distress among public health professionals and leaders. During the covid pandemic it was found that 64% of the public health workforce in the UK had one or more experience of moral distress associated with their own action (or inaction), and 26% reported experiencing moral distress associated with a colleague's or organisation's action (or inaction) and that 14% of those with moral distress, reported moral injury severe enough to require time off work and/or therapeutic help. Moral distress and injury is being increasingly recognised as a significant issue for health and care workforce. The purpose of proposal roundtable will be to share findings and recommendations from a major scoping review of evidence around moral distress and injury in health and care workforce in Europe. This has been carried out by an international expert group of researchers developed by the public health ethics and law network of the global network for academic public health and partners, for a seminal WHO Europe report on the issue to be launched at the EUPHA Conference in November. The scoping review of evidence will describe definitions and nature of moral distress and injury; aggravating factors and impacts; and options for interventions and activities for care, prevention and amelioration. In particular it will consider organisational factors and implications for workforce policies. The proposed roundtable workshop will include some of the multidisciplinary expert team of researchers and practitioners who carried out the research. The roundtable workshop will also create a space for reflections from participants on their experience of moral distress and injury in these turbulent times with challenges to professional values. Key messages • Moral distress and injury is becomh increasingly recognised as a signficant issue in health and care workforce in Europe. • It is important to appreciate the insitutional and organisational aggravating factors in generating moral distress and injury and workforce policies. Speakers/Panellists Farhang Tahzib Faculty of Public Health, Haywards heath, UK Jutta Lindert Hochschule Emden-Leer, Emden, Germany