Palliative care may alleviate ICU staff moral distress

Critical care nurses may be less likely to experience moral distress when they feel patients’ palliative care needs are being met, according to research in the October issue of Critical Care Nurse. A survey of critical care nurses in seven intensive care units within an academic health center found an association between their levels of moral distress and their perceptions of the degree to which palliative care was available to their patients. The majority of respondents reported they had little palliative care education. “Health system leaders should prioritize palliative care training for critical care nurses and their colleagues and empower them to reduce barriers to palliative care,” the researchers concluded.