American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Randomized Controlled Trial
I've Got the Power: Nurses' Moral Distress and Perceptions of Empowerment.
Nurses experience moral distress when they feel disempowered or impeded in taking the ethically right course of action. Research suggests an inverse relationship between moral distress and empowerment. In the intensive care unit, providing palliative care services may reduce moral distress because palliative care is often provided in situations that give rise to moral distress. ⋯ Nurses' sense of empowerment and the frequency of moral distress are favorably affected by active participation in assessing and communicating patients' palliative care needs.