Table 3 Questions of Moral Distress Scale-Revised associated with burnout applied in the all professionals (ICU + SDU)
Moral distress questions | No burnout Median [IRa] | Severe burnout Median [IR] | p* |
|---|---|---|---|
Provide less than optimal care due to pressures from administrators or insurers to reduce costs | 0 [0–2] | 1 [0–6] | 0.009 |
Initiate extensive lifesaving actions when I think they only prolong death | 6 [2–9] | 7 [4–16] | 0.005 |
Follow the family’s request not to discuss death with a dying patient who asks about dying | 4 [1–9] | 8 [4–12] | 0.005 |
Continue to participate in care for a hopelessly ill person who is being sustained on a ventilator, when no one will make a decision to withdraw support | 8 [4–12] | 12 [7–16] | 0.006 |
Avoid taking action when I learn that a physician or nurse colleague has made a medical error and does not report it | 1 [0–4] | 2 [1–4] | 0.017 |
Assist a physician who, in my opinion, is providing incompetent care | 4 [1–8] | 4 [2–9] | 0.013 |
Be required to care for patients I do not feel qualified to care for | 0 [0–2] | 1 [0–4] | 0.041 |
Provide care that does not relieve the patient’s suffering because the physician fears that increasing the dose of pain medication will cause death | 2 [0–8] | 6 [2–12] | <0.001 |
Follow the family’s wishes for the patient’s care when I do not agree with them, but do so because of fears of a lawsuit | 2 [0–6] | 7 [1.5–12] | <0.001 |
Work with nurses or other healthcare providers who are not as competent as the patient care requires | 4 [2–9] | 6 [3–12] | 0.035 |
Witness diminished patient care quality due to poor team communication | 4 [2–9] | 9 [3–16] | 0.004 |