Moral Injury: What Happens When Exhausted Health Workers Can No Longer Provide the Care They Want for Their Patients

June 28, 2022

(The Conversation) – 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. (Read More)