A closed-book, multiple-choice examination following this article tests your under standing of the following objectives:1. Identify common causes of moral distress in critical care nurses who are caring for dying patients. 2. Describe the concept of psychological empowerment and the 4 cognitions it encompasses. 3. Discuss the study findings as related to the relationship between moral distress intensity and frequency, psychological empowerment, and participant demographics. Results Moral distress intensity was high (mean 5.34, SD 1.32) and positively correlated with age (r = 0.179, P = .01). Moral distress frequency was moderate (mean 2.51, SD 0.87) and negatively correlated with nurses' collaboration in end-of-life patient care conferences (r = -0.191, P = .007). Psychological empowerment scores (mean 5.31, SD 1.00) were high and positively correlated with age (r = 0.139, P = .03), years of experience (r = 0.165, P = .01), collaboration in end-of-life-care conferences (r = 0.163, P = .01), and end-of-life-care education (r = 0.221, P = .001) and were negatively correlated with moral distress frequency (r = -0.194, P = .01). Multiple regression analysis revealed that empowerment was a significant predictor of moral distress frequency (β = .222, P < .01). Conclusion The significant negative correlation between psychological empowerment and frequency of moral distress in these nurses indicated that nurses with higher perceived empowerment experience moral distress less often. This finding is of particular interest as interventions to decrease moral distress are sought.

Critical care nurses are often faced with working with families during the end-of-life care of a loved one. Often there is indecisiveness in family members of critically ill patients when faced with making these difficult decisions. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe origins of indecisiveness in family members of critically ill patients who are faced with end-of-life care decisions. Strategies to empower family members during this crucial time are also discussed.

The purpose of this article was to explore the historical, social, and philosophical factors related to life-support technology and its effects on patients dying in an intensive care unit environment. The article examines how technology has affected the right of individuals to experience a peaceful death. Implications for nursing practice in critical care are also addressed.

No abstract

No abstract