Moral distress is widely accepted as a contributing
factor to nurses’ loss of integrity, dissatisfaction with
their work, and problems with nurse-patient and nursemanagement
relationships.Morally distressing situations
are inescapable in the ED. Today's trauma nurses
also face their vulnerability to violence in the workplace, 7
and multiple sources of stress may deepen the burden of a potentially volatile work environment. The cost paid
from unattended moral distress is signifi cant when nurses
leave their high acuity positions or even leave the nursing
profession altogether.