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Cited by 62Ethics in medical practiceEthics and bioethics in healthcareHealthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

Prevalence of severe moral distress among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia

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Almutairi, Adel F, Salam, Mahmoud, Adlan, Abdallah, Alturki, Abdullah·2019·Psychology Research and Behavior Management
DOI 10.2147/prbm.s191037PMC PMC6375112
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Abstract

Background: Moral distress is a serious problem in healthcare environments that requires urgent attention and management. It occurs when healthcare providers are unable to provide the care that they feel is right or take, what they believe to be, ethically appropriate actions for their patients. Thus, this study aims to examine moral distress among nurses and physicians working in tertiary teaching hospitals in Saudi Arabia, as well as to evaluate the level of association between moral distress and turnover. Methods: This cross-sectional study, which employed an anonymous 21-item Moral Distress Scale, was undertaken at a large medical institution located in different regions of Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using bi-variate analyses, and logistic regression. Results: Of the 342 participants, 239 (69.9%) were nurses/staff physicians and 103 (30.1%) were fellows/consultants. Approximately 24.3% of respondents experienced severe moral distress, whereas 75.7% reported mild moral distress. There was no statistically significant difference between men and women in terms of moral distress. Age was found to be a notable factor: moral distress was significantly higher in those younger than 37 years compared to those 37 years and older ( P =0.015). Less than half of the participants (137, 42.8%) indicated their willingness to leave their jobs. A significant association was observed between severe moral distress and leaving the career (OR=3.16; P <0.01). Job category was also an important factor: nurses/staff physicians were almost two times more likely (OR =1.95, P =0.038) to leave their positions compared to fellows/consultants. Conclusion: This study revealed that moral distress, which is a serious problem that compromises the well-being of caregivers, was a predictive variable for the intention of healthcare providers to leave their jobs. Therefore, it should be routinely examined, and efficient action plans should be implemented to alleviate its consequences. Keywords: burnout, MDS-R, organizational support, nurses, physicians

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  1. [27]Rokeach M The Nature of Human Values New York Free Press 1973
  2. [44]Elpern EH Covert B Kleinpell R Moral distress of staff nurses in a medical intensive care unit Am J Crit Care 2005 14 6 523 530 16249589

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Authors
Almutairi, A. F., Salam, M., Adlan, A., & Alturki, A.
Affiliations
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (SA)
Corresponding author
Almutairi, Adel F
ORCID
Venue
Psychology Research and Behavior Management
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2019-02
Volume
Volume 12
Pages
107-115
ISSN
1179-1578 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2147/prbm.s191037
PMC
PMC6375112
OpenAlex
W2912152718
Cited by
62
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 3
FWCI
6.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychology Research and Behavior Management (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Dove Medical Press (Taylor and Francis Group) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Ethics in medical practice
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
Keywords
moral distress, healthcare workers, nurses, physicians, job turnover, turnover intention, Moral Distress Scale-Revised, burnout, organizational support, age differences, Saudi Arabia

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