Nurse Practitioners’ Experiences of Moral Distress in the Continuing Care Setting

This article describes a qualitative study designed to understand nurse practitioners’ (NPs) experiences with moral distress in the continuing care setting. The findings confirm that NPs in this setting experience moral distress. These experiences are in response to tensions that arise when factors interfere with their ability to provide “good” patient care. Five themes emerged as important factors: patients, perceptions, physicians, palliation, and policies. Moral distress is a substantial issue for NPs in the continuing care setting. Further research is required to examine NP's experience with moral distress in other settings and identify solutions to resolve and respond to this distress.