Evaluation of the Moral Distress Intensity and Its Relationship with the Quality of Work Life Among Nurses Working in Oncology Wards in Shiraz, Southwest of Iran

Background: Moral distress defined as an incident that prevents the appropriate functioning of individuals in spite of having the required knowledge. Nurses are commonly exposed to moral distress while doing their professional roles, which can influence the quality of their work life. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between the moral distress intensity and work life quality amongst nurses.

Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, 180 nurses working in oncology wards were selected through census based on inclusion criteria (associate or higher degrees, having at least six months of clinical work experience, and not suffering from anxiety disorders). The data were collected using Corley's questionnaire (2001) and Brooks' investigation of work life quality of nurses (2001). Then, the data were entered into the SPSS 22 software and were analyzed using the Independent Sample -test, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Results: The nurses' mean scores of moral distress and work life quality were 136.63 ± 27.39 and 133.83 ± 25.40, respectively. The results revealed a negative significant relationship between the nurses' moral distress and work life quality ( < 0.001) ( = -0.53). There was also a significant difference between the nurses' sex and work life quality ( < 0.05).

Conclusion: Identifying the moral distress intensity and work life quality of nurses and proper planning from the authorities can improve job satisfaction in nurses and resulting to higher quality of care.