Moral distress (nursing).

Moral distress is a philosophical and emotional concept specifically related to healthcare professionals. It involves feelings of mental distress that result when a caregiver is unable to provide appropriate care for a patient because of policies, procedures, poor communication, or other related obstacles. Moral distress arises in situations where medical professionals' moral understanding about what is best for a patient's care is not in line with the approved methodology. Moral distress is most common within the nursing profession. Nurses often complain of being unable to fulfill their duties to their patients due to issues such as conflicts in values, institutional oversights, staffing policies, professional disagreements, and mounting workplace pressure resulting from problems such as understaffing. Many nurses define this dilemma as having to go against their moral compasses, resulting in feelings of being unable to do the right thing despite wanting to do so.