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Healthcare workers in New Zealand already face life-and-death decisions daily. But as multiple winter illnesses add pressure to a system already stretched by COVID, staff now also have to deal with daily abuse, acute staff shortages and unsafe working conditions. At times, they cannot provide the care they would like for their patients.
The impact on health workers is often described as stress and burnout. The consequences of this prolonged pressure can be seen in the number of doctors, nurses and other health professionals leaving their jobs for overseas positions and the private sector, or being lost to their professions completely.
Many of these healthcare workers may well be suffering from a more serious form of psychological distress than burnout: moral injury.
Moral injury refers to the psychological, social and spiritual impact of events on a person who holds strong values (such as caring for patients) and operates in high-stakes situations (hospital emergency care), but has to act in a way inconsistent with those values.
Examples include having to turn patients away despite them being in pain or discomfort; being unable to provide adequate care due to staff shortages; having to care for a dying patient isolated from their loved ones while wearing full protective gear.
Symptoms of moral injury can include strong feelings of guilt and shame (about not being able to uphold healthcare values, for example) as well as high levels of anger and contempt towards the system that prevents proper care.
High levels of self-criticism, loss of trust in people and organisations and a weakening of personal relationships are further symptoms of moral injury.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/moral-injury-what-happens-when-exhausted-health-workers-can-no-longer-provide-the-care-they-want-for-their-patients-185485