Abstract
Background:
Moral distress (MD) refers to psychological unease when healthcare professionals identify morally correct actions to take but are constrained in their ability to take those actions.
Methods:
This study evaluated the relationship between out-of-hours decisions and MD among 40 Foundation Year 2 (FY2) doctors. They were asked to choose the ‘expected’ and the ‘right’ management options for five out-of-hours scenarios and complete an adapted Measure of Moral Distress for Health Professionals (MMD-HP) questionnaire.
Results:
28/40 (70%) reported discordance between ‘expected’ and ‘right’ options more frequently than concordance. The mean total MMD-HP score was low: 64.9 (SD = 26.9), range 13–143, maximum 288. The association between decision-making discordance and MMD-HP score was weak.
Conclusion:
Out-of-hours decisions by FY2 doctors were characterised by doing what is ‘expected’ rather than what is perceived to be ‘right’. Providing guidance regarding decision-making in deteriorating patients is needed for patient safety and staff well-being.
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Supplementary Material
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