Investigating the Impact of Airway Management Training on the Moral Distress and Compassion Fatigue of Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Objective:Nurses in the intensive care unit (ICU) experienced high prevalence of compassion fatigue and moral distress that can reduce job satisfaction and impact the quality of care due to specific conditions of patients, thus identifying the factors affecting the compassion fatigue and moral distress is very important. This study aimed to investigate the impact of airway management training on the quality of care delivery and moral distress and compassion fatigue in nurses.Materials and Methods:This study was conducted on 50 nurses working in the ICU. Data collection tools included Moral Distress Scale and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, along with an airway care checklist prepared according to nursing standards. Before the intervention, participants completed the questionnaires and their function of airway care was investigated through the checklist. Nurses were trained face to face. After training, assessors evaluated the nurses by observing the quality of airway care through the standard checklist. Then, moral distress and fatigue questionnaires were filled again, and results before and after training were analysed.Results:The rate of moral distress and fatigue among nurses has significantly reduced before and after training (p<0.001). In addition, the quality of airway management increased from 70% to 86% (p<0.001).Conclusion:Airway management training can decrease the nurses’ moral distress and compassion fatigue and improve the quality of airway care. The ability of nurses working in the ICU including knowledge and practice increased leading to improved quality of care and reduced moral distress and compassion fatigue. Therefore, periodic training workshops in airway management can be very effective.

Keywords

• airway management
• compassion fatigue
• education in practice
• intensive care units
• moral distress
• respiratory care