Moral distress: challenges for an autonomous nursing professional practice

• Main Authors: Edison Luiz Devos Barlem, Valéria Lerch Lunardi, Jamila Geri Tomaschewski, Guilherme Lerch Lunardi, Wilson Danilo Lunardi Filho, Camila Rose Guadalupe Barcelos Schwonke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2013-04-01
• Series: Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP
• Subjects: Enfermería; Práctica professional; Ética en enfermeira; Estrés psicológico; Defensa de la salud
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0080-62342013000200033&lng=en&tlng=en

Constantly experiencing limiting situations that hinder a professional practice coherent with its principles - of autonomy and advocacy of users' interests -, and often conditioned to experience moral distress, the nursing profession plays a prominent role in the current health model because it has the characteristic of managing the care rendered to users in a perspective of social inclusion, both in the basic health network and in hospitals. Aiming at carrying out a reflection on the nursing practice and the difficulties present in its work routine, and considering its characteristics as a profession, this article sought to make a reflection between the practice of nursing and the numerous moral challenges imposed by the routine, resulting, in many cases, in a value crisis that can reverberate directly on the quality of the service rendered, and in abandonment of the ideals of advocacy for users.