Table 3.
The 26 Moral Distress items in descending order ranked by frequency scores.
| Abbreviated items | Mean (SD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Intensity | |
| Perform painful/unpleasant procedures on school-aged children who resist such treatment | 2.51 (1.07) | 2.58 (0.95) |
| Not having time to conduct conversations with patients and families in a way you think they should be carried out | 1.98 (1.08) | 3.18 (0.79) |
| Being unable to provide best possible care…pressures from management to reduce costs | 1.88 (1.14) | 3.03 (1.04) |
| Work in a staffing situation (number/competence level) that you experience as unsafe | 1.83 (1.11) | 3.55 (0.61) |
| Provide care although parents have unrealistic expectations of health care | 1.68 (0.81) | 2.76 (0.81) |
| See that…care suffers because of lack of continuity, with many different healthcare providers | 1.49 (1.06) | 3.03 (0.84) |
| Not to talk about death with a dying child although you think it is necessary | 1.32 (0.96) | 3.40 (0.72) |
| Continue to participate in life-sustaining treatment of a dying child because no one has decided to end that treatment | 1.30 (0.99) | 2.88 (0.89) |
| Feel pressured to perform tests and treatments…unnecessary | 1.30 (0.93) | 2.74 (1.00) |
| See…professionals give ‘false hope’ to parents | 1.29 (0.94) | 2.78 (1.06) |
| Follow family’s wishes…life-sustaining treatment…not in the best interest of the child | 1.21 (0.89) | 2.66 (0.89) |
| Follow family’s request not to talk about death…dying child who asks about dying | 1.20 (0.94) | 3.34 (0.84) |
| Be expected to care for patients…not feel competent enough to care for | 1.20 (0.86) | 3.36 (0.89) |
| See that the quality of patient care suffers because of poor communication within the team | 1.00 (0.79) | 3.31 (0.75) |
| Work with nurses…not as competent as…healthcare requires | 0.99 (0.81) | 3.41 (0.74) |
| Decide on care/treatment when you are uncertain about what is right | 0.87 (0.72) | 3.08 (0.84) |
| Work with a physician…incompetent in providing healthcare | 0.80 (0.79) | 3.28 (0.91) |
| Take life-saving actions…only prolong dying | 0.76 (0.77) | 2.73 (0.85) |
| Provide inadequate care…not relieve…suffering…physician afraid…will lead to death | 0.69 (0.80) | 3.68 (0.56) |
| Give an increased dose of sedatives/opiates…believe…hasten death | 0.65 (0.84) | 2.44 (1.05) |
| Avoid reporting…discover that a physician or a nurse has made a medical error | 0.62 (0.74) | 3.30 (0.88) |
| Follow physician’s request not to discuss…prognosis with parents | 0.49 (0.75) | 2.77 (1.09) |
| Follow the family’s wishes for the child’s care despite…you disagree…afraid of being reported | 0.42 (0.68) | 3.01 (1.02) |
| Shut eyes to that parents have not received…information…to give their consent to healthcare… | 0.35 (0.53) | 3.30 (0.77) |
| Take no action about an ethical issue…because the involved…professional or management requests… | 0.34 (0.59) | 3.41 (0.74) |
| See students perform painful procedures…solely to improve skills | 0.32 (0.64) | 3.32 (1.04) |