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Mathews N, Alodan K, Kuehne N, Widger K, Locke M, Fung K, Gandhi S, McLean J, Hossain A, Alexander S. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Moral Distress in Pediatric Oncology Health Care Professionals. JCO Oncol Pract 2023; 19:917-924. [PMID: 37625100 DOI: 10.1200/op.23.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Moral distress (MoD) is prevalent among health care professionals (HCPs) in oncology and is associated with burnout. The objectives of this study were to quantify MoD among pediatric oncology healthcare professionals (HCPs) at a Canadian quaternary care hospital, identify root causes, and evaluate change over time. METHODS Eligible pediatric oncology HCPs were identified, and consenting participants completed the Measure of Moral Distress-Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP) and MoD Thermometer (MDT) at baseline, followed by biweekly MDTs over 12 weeks. RESULTS A total of 139 HCPs participated. The mean MMD-HP score was 123 ± 57.0, range 9-288. Demographic risk factors identified for elevated MMD-HP scores were female sex (female 127.1 and male 83.6, P = .01) and nursing role (nurse 136.3 and most responsible physician 85.3, P = .02). Higher MMD-HP scores were found in HCPs who were currently considering resigning because of MoD compared with those who were not (169.9 v 115.4, P < .001). Situations involving administration of treatment to children with poor prognosis cancers that was perceived to be overly aggressive were ranked as the greatest environmental contributor to MoD. Baseline and mean MDT scores over time strongly correlated with MMD-HP scores (P < .0001 and P = .0003, respectively), with mean MDT scores showing no significant fluctuation over the 12-week period. CONCLUSION MoD was common among pediatric oncology HCPs. Risk factors for elevated levels of MoD included both demographic and environmental factors. Implementation of systems to improve team communication and decision making, especially in the care of patients with poor prognosis cancers, may affect HCP MoD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Mathews
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Khalid Alodan
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan Kuehne
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kimberley Widger
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Lawrence S Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maria Locke
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Karen Fung
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sheila Gandhi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer McLean
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alomgir Hossain
- Clinical Research Services, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Alexander
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Kim M, Oh Y, Lee JY, Lee E. Job satisfaction and moral distress of nurses working as physician assistants: focusing on moderating role of moral distress in effects of professional identity and work environment on job satisfaction. BMC Nurs 2023; 22:267. [PMID: 37580762 PMCID: PMC10424341 DOI: 10.1186/s12912-023-01427-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physician assistant was created in response to a shortage of physicians. However, this profession is not officially recognized in Korea. Many nurses are working as physician assistants. Their job satisfaction was low due to role conflict. Job satisfaction plays a major role in providing high quality nursing. This study aimed to investigate effects of work environment and professional identity on job satisfaction and identify the mediating role of moral distress in such effects. METHODS Participants were 112 nurses working as physician assistants. They were recruited from three General Hospitals. A questionnaire scale was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using frequency, descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and Macro Model 4 with SPSS Statistics. RESULTS Job satisfaction of nurses working as physician assistants had a score of 3.08 out of 5. It showed significant associations with work environment and professional identity. Moral distress had a partial mediating role in relationships of job satisfaction with work environment and professional identity. CONCLUSION Many nurses are working as physician assistants, although physician assistant as a profession is not officially recognized in Korea. Nurses working as physician assistants experience confusion about their professional identity and moral distress. For better nursing outcomes, physician assistant policy should be improved, and various strategies should be provided to improve their job satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minsub Kim
- School of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdaehak-gil, Chuncheon, 24252, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Younjae Oh
- School of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdaehak-gil, Chuncheon, 24252, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Yun Lee
- College of Nursing, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Eunhee Lee
- School of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdaehak-gil, Chuncheon, 24252, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.
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