Coping strategies and interventions to alleviate moral distress among pediatric ICU nurses: A scoping review

Abstract

Backgrounds

Moral distress significantly affects pediatric ICU nurses, leading to nurse burnout, increased turnover and reducing patient care quality. Despite its importance, there’s a notable gap in knowledge on how to manage it effectively.

Aims

This review aimed to systematically identify and analyze coping strategies and interventions targeting moral distress among pediatric nurses in ICU, uncovering research gap and future studies directions.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted followed framework by Levac, Colquhoun, and O'Brien and Arksey and O'Malley. Searches were performed in 11 electrical databases, like PubMed and China Biology Medicine disc, within a timeframe of the database construction to November 2023, and performed literature screening and data extraction.

Results

Sixteen articles were ultimately included. Coping strategies adopted by pediatric ICUs nurses can be categorized into adaptive and maladaptive strategies, with the latter including passive acceptance, taking leave, and drinking, while the former involve pursuing interests outside of work, reflection and philosophizing, and communication. Nine articles described and evaluated the effectiveness of interventions for moral distress, categorizing them into individual and institutional levels. Individual-level interventions include Interprofessional Perspective-Taking, the PICU Resiliency Bundle, Ethics Education/Skills, and the Center for Caring. Institutional-level interventions encompasses Comprehensive Care Round, Goals of Care Conversations, Pediatric Ethics and Communication Excellence Rounds, Nursing Ethics Council, and Medical Ethical Decision-Making, though not all were effective in alleviating moral distress.

Conclusions

Nurses often use self-adjustment strategies for moral distress, institutional ethical support focusing on enhancing nurses’ moral resilience, promoting reflective thinking and improving communication remains crucial. Various interventions for moral distress are currently available, but nurse engagement is low and their effectiveness remained to be verified. Future studies should explore what aids or hinders these interventions. There’s also a need for large, multicenter trials and ongoing evaluations to create effective support systems for pediatric ICU nurses.