COVID-19, Moral Conflict, Distress, and Dying Alone

COVID-19 has truly affected most of the world over the past many months, perhaps more than any other event in recent history. In the wake of this pandemic are patients, family members, and various types of care providers, all of whom share different levels of moral distress. Moral conflict occurs in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of bioethical inquiry Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 777 - 782
Main Authors Anderson-Shaw, Lisa K., Zar, Fred A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Singapore Springer Singapore 01.12.2020
Subjects
Conflict, Psychological
COVID-19
Death
Emergency medical personnel
Ethics
Humans
Job stress
Medical Law
Medical personnel
Medical personnel and patient
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Moral and ethical aspects
Morals
Pandemics
Patient Isolation - ethics
Psychological aspects
Psychology
Symposium COVID-19 Pandemic: 6. Clinical Implications
Symposium: COVID-19
Theory of Medicine/Bioethics
United States
United States
COVID-19
Moral conflict
End of life
Moral distress
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Summary:COVID-19 has truly affected most of the world over the past many months, perhaps more than any other event in recent history. In the wake of this pandemic are patients, family members, and various types of care providers, all of whom share different levels of moral distress. Moral conflict occurs in disputes when individuals or groups have differences over, or are unable to translate to each other, deeply held beliefs, knowledge, and values. Such conflicts can seriously affect healthcare providers and cause distress during disastrous situations such as pandemics when medical and human resources are stretched to the point of exhaustion. In the current pandemic, most hospitals and healthcare institutions in the United States have not allowed visitors to come to the hospitals to see their family or loved ones, even when the patient is dying. The moral conflict and moral distress (being constrained from doing what you think is right) among care providers when they see their patients dying alone can be unbearable and lead to ongoing grief and sadness. This paper will explore the concepts of moral distress and conflict among hospital staff and how a system-wide provider wellness programme can make a difference in healing and health.
Bibliography:Symposium : Social and Ethical Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Includes references; print issue lacks month
Includes links to related electronic resources
ISSN:1176-7529
1872-4353
1872-4353
DOI:10.1007/s11673-020-10040-9