"First ever study of 'moral distress' among nurses in burn unit" (not directly relevant to much)

[Dolphin]

I just happened to see this by chance.

There is no direct relevance to ME/CFS but I thought the concept of "moral distress"/that it had a name was somewhat interesting:

Moral distress consists of painful feelings and associated emotional and mental anguish. It occurs when a person believes he or she knows the ethically ideal or right action to take, but is prevented from doing so because of internal or institutional barriers.

For example, a nurse has to carry out a physician's orders for what the nurse considers to be unnecessary tests and treatments, or witness healthcare providers giving false hope to a patient or family.

Moral distress can result in depression, anxiety, emotional withdrawal, frustration, anger and a variety of physical symptoms. It also can lead to job burnout.

The concept of moral distress among healthcare workers was first identified in the late 1980s, and research on the topic has accelerated during the past decade. There have been studies of moral distress in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units and among genetic counselors, resident physicians and other healthcare professionals. But until now, there had never been a study examining moral distress among nurses in a burn intensive care unit.

I also thought it was interesting that an intervention that was supposed to help, actually resulted in worse scores (although at follow-up there was no difference). Non-pharmacological interventions shouldn't be assumed to help - they can sometimes make things worse (possibly not the best example, but an example of sorts).

First ever study of 'moral distress' among nurses in burn unit

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/luhs-fes102813.php

 

[Snowdrop]

Interesting even if not entirely relevant to ME.
It does go to show that the more aware you are of the exact nature of the moral distress and its causes the higher the level of distress experienced. That can be relevant to everyone in one form or another.