CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY OF MORAL DISTRESS IN NURSES

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this reflective study was to propose conceptual elements for the analysis of moral distress as a process that articulates various concepts of moral experience. The moral distress is explored as a phenomenon manifested in different scenarios and dimensions of labor - care, management and education. Although a relative consensus exists on the concept and comparable empirical results in several countries, there are limited studies that explore theoretical gaps, critical points and possibilities to expand the analytical potential. In the search for consistent and updated theoretical supports for the changing needs of the field, the state of the art was surveyedn and a conceptual framework was designed to address moral distress as a process that articulates various concepts or moments of moral experience, such as uncertainty, moral sensitivity and moral deliberation. The proposed matrix articulates the development process of moral competencies or the construction of the ethical subject, present in pedagogical and philosophical discourses of interest to the profession.