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The Interplay Between Moral Distress, Moral Resilience, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Neonatal Care Providers

NCT06836323 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 800

Last updated 2025-02-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Due to highly specialized medical care neonatal care providers are faced with numerous responsibilities which makes neonatal care a particularly challenging and stressful work environment. Moral Distress (MoD) is an increasingly perceived phenomenon, which occurs if a person is prevented from doing what she or he believe is morally right. Such situations are common in neonatal care and MoD has severe negative consequences, including burnout and resignation. There is a significant gap of knowledge on the prevalence of MoD among neonatal care providers. In addition, the complex interplay between MoD and burnout is largely unexplored. The understanding of MoD and the exploration of possible influencing factors are indispensable prerequisites for effectively targeting and mitigating the negative effects of MoD.

Aims: This project aims at providing normative data on the prevalence of MoD among neonatal care providers in German speaking Switzerland. This project will further explore the interplay between MoD and burnout as well as the role of protective and reinforcing factors including moral resilience, perceived stress, mental health and workload.

Design: A prospective observational mixed methods study will be conducted among neonatal care providers in Swiss secondary and tertiary care neonatal units. Over a one-year period, neonatal care providers will be repeatedly asked to answer a survey on MoD and associated outcomes. Semi-structured interviews will be performed to gain detailed information on what constitutes MoD.

Significance: The study results will allow a robust assessment of the extent of MoD in the neonatal care environment. They will further provide information regarding the feasibility of a continuous screening approach. In the effort to optimize the work environment of healthcare workers in ethically complex clinical settings, in-depth exploration MoD is indispensable. The results of this study may help establish an approach to continuous assessment, and thus provide a basis for verifiable interventions.

Conditions

  • Moral Distress

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • André Kidszun, Professor · Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-01-22
Primary Completion
2025-08-04
Completion
2025-08-04

Countries

  • Switzerland

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06836323 on ClinicalTrials.gov