Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To verify the applicability of the adapted Moral Distress Scale in the nursing setting of the hemato-oncology sector of a university hospital.
METHOD
Cross-sectional study conducted with 46 nursing workers of a university hospital in the southern region of Brazil with data collected between December 2014 and March 2015 by means of the adapted Moral Distress Scale. Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
RESULTS
Factor analysis resulted in a group of 26 questions validated based on three factors: Lack of Competence in the Team, Denial of the Nursing Role as the Patient’s Advocate, and Disrespect for the Patient’s Autonomy. Cronbach’s alpha of the instrument was 0.98.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that the adapted Moral Distress Scale is an appropriate instrument for the identification of moral distress in nursing workers in the hemato-oncology area.
Keywords:
Occupational health; Nursing; Ethics; Oncologic service; hospital