Moral Distress among Frontline Physicians and Nurses in the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

Maffoni, Marina; Fiabane, Elena; Setti, Ilaria; Martelli, Sara; Pistarini, Caterina; Sommovigo, Valentina

doi:10.3390/ijerph19159682

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Moral Distress among Frontline Physicians and Nurses in the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

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Psychology Unit of Montescano Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, IRCCS, 27040 Montescano, Italy

Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of Genova Nervi Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, 16167 Genova, Italy

Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, Unit of Applied Psychology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy

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Department of Neurorehabilitation of Pavia Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, IRCCS, 27100 Pavia, Italy

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Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9682; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159682

Received: 8 June 2022 / Revised: 1 August 2022 / Accepted: 3 August 2022 / Published: 5 August 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moral Distress and Mental Health among Healthcare Professionals)

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Abstract

During the COVID-19 health emergency, healthcare professionals faced several ethical demanding job stressors, becoming at particular risk of moral distress. To date, only a few scales have been developed to evaluate moral distress among frontline professionals working in contact with COVID-19 patients. Moreover, although many healthcare professionals from various disciplines were converted to COVID-19 patient care, no study has yet analyzed whether the resulting change in duties might represent a risk factor for moral distress. Thus, this study aimed to investigate how and when the change in duties during the emergency would be related to healthcare professionals’ psycho-physical malaise. To this aim, a first Italian adaptation of the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ) was provided. In total, 272 Italian healthcare professionals participated in this cross-sectional study. Healthcare professionals who had to perform tasks outside their usual clinical duties were more likely to experience moral distress and then psycho-physical malaise. This was particularly likely for those who were extremely concerned about becoming infected with the virus. The results also indicated that the Italian adaptation of the SCQ had a one-factor solution composed of six items. This study provides the first Italian adaptation of SCQ and practical suggestions on how supporting professionals’ well-being during emergencies. View Full-Text

Keywords: moral distress; COVID-19; change in duties; fear of being infected; stress of conscience; healthcare; psychophysical malaise

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MDPI and ACS Style

Maffoni, M.; Fiabane, E.; Setti, I.; Martelli, S.; Pistarini, C.; Sommovigo, V. Moral Distress among Frontline Physicians and Nurses in the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 9682. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159682

AMA Style

Maffoni M, Fiabane E, Setti I, Martelli S, Pistarini C, Sommovigo V. Moral Distress among Frontline Physicians and Nurses in the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(15):9682. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159682

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maffoni, Marina, Elena Fiabane, Ilaria Setti, Sara Martelli, Caterina Pistarini, and Valentina Sommovigo. 2022. "Moral Distress among Frontline Physicians and Nurses in the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 15: 9682. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159682

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Moral Distress among Frontline Physicians and Nurses in the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

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