Other Titles
Reducing Moral Distress in End-of-Life Care [Title Slide]
Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation - Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Inadequate interdisciplinary collaboration in end-of-life care can result in moral distress among nurses, reflecting conflicts between core nursing values and physician expectations. This quality improvement project seeks to reduce moral distress by enhancing collaboration between physicians and nurses in providing end-of-life care in a defined microsystem on the Transitional Care Unit (TCU). A pre-survey of registered nurses (RNs) revealed that moral distress occurs when caring for actively dying patients, regardless of their code status. Nurses identified a need for improved communication with physicians to facilitate timely implementation of comfort medication order sets and better address the palliative needs of these patients.
To address these concerns, a focus group of Charge Nurses will implement a standardized RN advocacy communication tool during daily multidisciplinary rounds. This tool is designed to improve the clarity and timeliness of communication between nurses and physicians, ensuring that patient needs are addressed collaboratively and efficiently. By fostering a structured approach to advocacy, the project aims to empower nurses to voice concerns and contribute to care planning more effectively.
The broader impacts of this initiative are significant, as moral distress in end-of-life care has been linked to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and compromised patient care. Enhancing interprofessional collaboration not only alleviates moral distress but simultaneously improves the quality of care for dying patients by ensuring their needs are met in a timely and compassionate manner. This project advocates nursing values through a structured communication tool addressing systemic barriers to effective teamwork, offering a scalable model for improving end-of-life care and supporting the well-being of healthcare providers. By addressing the root causes of moral distress, this initiative has the potential to create a more sustainable and compassionate healthcare environment.
Notes
References:
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Sigma Membership
Delta Lambda at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Workplace Culture, Clinical Practice, Interdisciplinary, End-of-Life, Transitional Care Unit, Stress and Coping, Ethics, Moral Distress, Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Recommended Citation
Perino, Marissa Teresa, "Reducing Moral Distress through Improved Interprofessional Collaboration in End-of-Life Care" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 227.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/227
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Invited Presentation
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-09
Reducing Moral Distress through Improved Interprofessional Collaboration in End-of-Life Care
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Inadequate interdisciplinary collaboration in end-of-life care can result in moral distress among nurses, reflecting conflicts between core nursing values and physician expectations. This quality improvement project seeks to reduce moral distress by enhancing collaboration between physicians and nurses in providing end-of-life care in a defined microsystem on the Transitional Care Unit (TCU). A pre-survey of registered nurses (RNs) revealed that moral distress occurs when caring for actively dying patients, regardless of their code status. Nurses identified a need for improved communication with physicians to facilitate timely implementation of comfort medication order sets and better address the palliative needs of these patients.
To address these concerns, a focus group of Charge Nurses will implement a standardized RN advocacy communication tool during daily multidisciplinary rounds. This tool is designed to improve the clarity and timeliness of communication between nurses and physicians, ensuring that patient needs are addressed collaboratively and efficiently. By fostering a structured approach to advocacy, the project aims to empower nurses to voice concerns and contribute to care planning more effectively.
The broader impacts of this initiative are significant, as moral distress in end-of-life care has been linked to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and compromised patient care. Enhancing interprofessional collaboration not only alleviates moral distress but simultaneously improves the quality of care for dying patients by ensuring their needs are met in a timely and compassionate manner. This project advocates nursing values through a structured communication tool addressing systemic barriers to effective teamwork, offering a scalable model for improving end-of-life care and supporting the well-being of healthcare providers. By addressing the root causes of moral distress, this initiative has the potential to create a more sustainable and compassionate healthcare environment.
Description
This quality improvement project advocates nursing values through a structured communication tool addressing barriers to interprofessional teamwork, offering a scalable model for improving end-of-life care while supporting the well-being of registered nurses. By addressing root causes of moral distress, this initiative has the potential to create a more sustainable and compassionate healthcare environment.