Nurses’ Lived Experiences of Moral Courage Inhibitors: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction Moral courage (MC) has been characterized among the vital strategies, adopted by nurses, for dealing with moral distress; even though there are some factors hindering the development of this behavior in clinical settings. Objective The present study accordingly aimed to shed light on Iranian nurses’ lived experiences regarding MC inhibitors. Methods This qualitative descriptive study was fulfilled, using conventional content analysis. For this purpose, the participants comprised of 15 nurses were recruited purposively from teaching hospitals in Iran. As well, in-depth, individual semistructured interviews in a face-to-face mode were held for data collection. The data were further analyzed by Graneheim and Lundman's method. Results The analysis of the interviews revealed some MC inhibitors, including the individual factors (viz., personality traits, fear of job loss, poor scientific/practical skills, lack of ethical knowledge, and phobia of unpleasant experience recurrence), and the organizational ones (namely, no reward system, lack of power at work and physician dominance, inadequate organizational support, and suppressive environment). Conclusion The study findings demonstrated that the MC inhibitors in the nursing practice could be split into two general themes, that is, the individual and organizational ones. Accordingly, organizations could motivate nurses to make ethical decisions courageously, using supporting strategies, such as giving importance to nurses and empowering them, applying appropriate evaluation criteria, and appreciating ethical performance in these frontline healthcare workers.