ArticleNursing ethics2026
Nurses' experiences of moral suffering: A qualitative interview study.
Article in Nursing ethics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Moral distress and moral injury among nurses in German acute inpatient care - a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- The Marginalization of Spiritual Dimensions in Nursing Moral Injury Research: A Bibliometric Analysis, 2018-2025.Journal of religion and health · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
BackgroundMoral suffering is a growing concern in healthcare, especially in the nursing profession. It encompasses various forms, such as moral distress and moral injury, both of which impact nurses' professional integrity and mental and physical health. Despite extensive research, there is still no consensus on their definitions, distinctions, or causes, which impedes effective interventions. However, given their overlapping characteristics and consequences, joint consideration could offer critical insights to refine existing concepts.AimTo explore how nurses in clinical practice perceive moral suffering and analyze the essence of their experience of moral suffering.Research designData were collected through qualitative, semi-structured online interviews. The interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Participants and research contextA total of 47 registered nurses from different clinical settings in German hospitals participated in the study.Ethical considerationsThe study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board at University Medicine Greifswald. All participants provided written informed consent.FindingsThe essence of moral suffering was determined in five main categories with corresponding subcategories: A trigger situation (1) in which a person in a specific moral disposition is present (2), whereupon they assess the situation as morally meaningful (3) and, accordingly, moral suffering is experienced in its three specific dimensions: (4) the
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