Moral Distress and Pediatric Palliative Care

Abstract

Moral distress is a complex phenomenon whereby a person feels tension, constraint, or conflict with an action or circumstance because it goes against their individual or the perceived collective (e.g., community, organizational, or professional association’s) moral stance. In pediatric healthcare settings, managing and mitigating feelings of moral distress can be particularly difficult to navigate through because of the intricate dynamics between the pediatric patient, parent and/or legal guardians, and clinicians. The proactive integration of an experienced pediatric palliative care (PPC) team can be an appropriate step toward reducing clinicians feeling overwhelmed by various case-specific and team management issues that contribute to the development of moral distress among healthcare professionals. Based on our experiences in a free-standing, quaternary pediatric hospital, the involvement of PPC can help reframe the approach to challenging situations, enhance communication, and provide guidance to the care team, patients, and families. Moreover, PPC teams can benefit other multidisciplinary team members through education on respecting the plurality of values of diverse families and patients and consideration of ethical implications during morally challenging situations.