Moral injury is defined as “psychological, biological, spiritual, behavioral, and social impact of perpetrating, failing to prevent, or bearing witness to acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations" (Litz et al., 2009). It is one of the major causes of burnout, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and other negative effects of nursing. This concept of moral injury emphasizes system-level causes and solutions, and is distinct from the emphasis on individual resilience as a solution to the costs of caring.
Our ProjectOur aim is to inform the healthcare industry, and broader public about the challenges facing nurses and about the importance of system-level changes to address these problems. We will do this by collecting stories from nurses at all levels (bedside, executive level, teaching, etc.) and a variety of settings. Through the narratives of moral injury that individual nurses have experienced, the project will identify major constraints on nurses that are weakening the social conscience of the profession.
To share stories, nurses have the option of submitting written commentaries, audio or video recordings, or requesting that we contact them for a recorded interview. All stories will be anonymous, unless requested otherwise. Learn more Funding and SupportThis project is funded and supported by the generosity of organizations committed to battling moral injury. We are currently inviting partners to help support the project through a financial contribution to The Moral Injury Fund, and/or helping to recruit nurses to share their stories and disseminating findings. Learn more about becoming a partner. |