Caroline GG Ong

How is Moral Distress Experienced by Community Specialist Palliative Care Health Professionals?

Thesis:  Moral distress, moral equilibrium and the moral equilibrium framework: health professionals' well-being in the face of daily challenges to moral values and integrity

Year: 2020

List of Supervisors:

Dr Ros McDougall, Professor Marilys Guillemin, Associate Professor Eleanor Flynn

Title of your PhD:

How is Moral Distress Experienced by Community Specialist Palliative Care Health Professionals?

Abstract: 

Moral distress is the distress caused when one is forced to act in ways perceived as morally wrong based on one’s worldview and context. It is a significant phenomenon in healthcare, which if left unattended, can negatively affect the well-being of the health professional, lead to poor outcomes for patients, the organisation and even the larger health sector. Whilst much is known about moral distress in nurses in acute care, little is known about how moral distress is experienced by community healthcare professionals specialising in palliative care. This ethnographic study aims to contribute significantly to filling this gap in the understanding of the moral distress phenomenon.

PhD scholarship and funding body:

Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship