Moral distress

Moral distress was first defined in the nursing literature (Jameton, 1984) as "the experience of knowing the right thing to do while being in a situation in which it is nearly impossible to do it". This was seen as a departure from the somewhat academic philosophical concepts of bioethical principles of the time by placing value on emotions and compassion in guiding moral action. Since then, there has been considerable work in unpacking the elements of moral distress and thinking about the implications for staff and healthcare systems and, importantly, how we might go about tackling the problem.