morat distress ai{d work engagement ai\{ong staff nt.trses

HOLY AI{GEI UNTVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOT OF NT]RSING

First Trimester School Year 2014- 2015

MORAT DISTRESS AI{D WORK ENGAGEMENT AI\{ONG STAFF ^NT.TRSES

A

sPECrAr PROIECT

Presented to the Graduate School Holy Angel Univenity

ID Partial Fulfitment

Of the Reqtrirements forthe Degree Master of Science in Nrusing Major in Nursing Administration

By:

I,OI'IE ROYE}.IqSO CATU, RN

Moral Distress and Worh

LYAITIGEL UNIVERSITY

MORAL

DISTRESS AAID

WORK ENGAGEMENT AMONG

STAFF NURSES

Louie Roy Enciso Catu, RN

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the level of moral distress of nurses and the extent of nurses' work engagement. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design was utilized. The measurements of the variables were done by using two questionnaires: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and Moral Distress Scale- Revised (MDS-R). The 132 respondents in this study were staff registered nurses employed in a tertiary hospital in Angeles City. The participants were assigned in different areas of the hospital including the following: Ward, Operating Room, Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Room, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Hemodialysis Unit. Generally, to be able to answer the research questions, variables and their proposed relationships were analyzed usirry different types of appropriate statistical procedures (i.e. Pearson Correlation, Analysis of Variance, and T{est).

The moral distress scores of the respondents were low, however, the results of this

study

still

suggest

a

need

for

further exploration

on

moral distress in underrepresented groups

of

^nurses. Meanwhile

for

work engagement,

it

^only

presented a moderate level. Strategies to promote further work engagement among nurses are recommended.

Keywords: moral distress, work engagement, management

According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Nurses plays a vital role to a nation's welfare, almost every healthcare experience from birth up to the end of

life it

involves the contribution of nurse (2002). Moral distress is

a serious problem in the nursing profession. Adding significant physical and emotional stress, leads to nurses' dissatisfaction and feelings of loss of integrity with their work setting. Previous studies validated that moral distress is a major contributor to nurses' decision to quit their work setting and even their profession. Evidence specifies that moral distress has an undesirable impact on the healthcare work environment, for every three nurses one of them experienced moral distress. Around

fifty

percent or half of the nurse participants leave their workplace or nursing as a whole because of moral distress.