Resilience as an Incomplete Strategy for Coping With Moral Distress in Critical Care Nurses

Abstract

Topic: Moral distress is receiving increasing attention in health care. The theoretical value of resilience as a strategy for coping with moral distress is prominent in the literature.

Clinical relevance: The potential negative consequences of moral distress for nurses are indisputable, driving a push to identify interventions to help nurses deal with the experience. The evidence that resilience is an important quality and skill for maintaining wellness is equally clear.

Purpose: To review moral distress and resilience and examine the evidence for the new focus on resilience.

Content covered: The complexity of both moral distress and resilience suggests that resilience by itself is an incomplete strategy for coping with and addressing moral distress.