Ethics discussion tackles moral distress and who is most affected
Have you ever felt angry, frustrated, guilty or powerless when you had to do something that was contrary to your beliefs?
If so, consider attending a Brown Bag Ethics discussion on Moral Distress in Clinical Practice with Dr. Peter Dodek, MD, Professor, Critical Care Medicine, UBC.
Peter has done extensive research on the effects of moral distress, particularly on ICU staff, and how it can be prevented.
In his April 7th discussion at Lions Gate Hospital, he will define and describe moral distress in ICU personnel—the stress that one experiences when they’re torn between what they think they ought to do, and what they’re told to do.
“Moral distress isn’t just an insignificant psychological problem in the workplace—it is associated with attrition of highly trained personnel,” says Peter. “And it is preventable.”
The talk will also describe a cross-sectional study of moral distress in ICU personnel—both surveys and focus groups. He will show some demographic associations with moral distress and some of the key themes about causes and consequences of moral distress that emerged from the qualitative work.
According to his research, moral distress is:
- higher in ICU nurses and other non-physician professionals than in physicians
- lower with older age for other non-physician professionals but greater with more years of experience in nurses, and
- associated with tendency to leave the job.
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2016
Time: 12 – 1 pm
Location: LGH Auditorium, Basement
Teleconferencing?
Dial: 1-877-291-3022
Participant Code: 3689085#
Please mute your phone until you’d like to comment as there have been issues with background noise on the phone lines.
The talk is sponsored by VCH Ethics Service.