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Moral distress and injury in the public health professional workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern about moral distress and injury associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in healthcare professions. This study aimed to quantify the nature, frequency, severity and duration of the problem in the public health professional workforce. METHODS: Between 14 December 202...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Bow, Steven M A, Schröder-Bäck, Peter, Norcliffe-Brown, Dominic, Wilson, James, Tahzib, Farhang
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10470334/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36866402
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad010
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: There is growing concern about moral distress and injury associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in healthcare professions. This study aimed to quantify the nature, frequency, severity and duration of the problem in the public health professional workforce. METHODS: Between 14 December 2021 and 23 February 2022, Faculty of Public Health (FPH) members were surveyed about their experiences of moral distress before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: In total, 629 FPH members responded, of which, 405 (64%; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 61–68%) reported one or more experience of moral distress associated with their own action (or inaction), and 163 (26%; 95%CI = 23–29%) reported experiencing moral distress associated with a colleague’s or organization’s action (or inaction) since the start of the pandemic. The majority reported moral distress being more frequent during the pandemic and that the effects endured for over a week. In total, 56 respondents (9% of total sample, 14% of those with moral distress), reported moral injury severe enough to require time off work and/or therapeutic help. CONCLUSIONS: Moral distress and injury are significant problems in the UK public health professional workforce, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is urgent need to understand the causes and potential options for its prevention, amelioration and care.