
Check out the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
On This Episode:
With the increased distress and rationing of care that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of Moral Injury (MI) has started to garner much more attention in the world of healthcare. This repeated conflict between an individual’s morality and the management of care causes a deep emotional wound that often drives workers out of the profession altogether. Jerry Hogan, DNSc, CRNA wrote an article about this subject, so we’ve asked him to explain the effects of MI and how CRNAs can resolve this conflict.
Moral Injury is a concept that people usually confuse with burnout or PTSD, but that’s more of an external threat. Moral Injury deals more with situations that directly affect your moral compass about how things are being done. So this can incorporate many different scenarios that anesthetists face in an operating room, and it’s something we’re facing more and more in recent years.
We want to use this show to bring attention to this issue that’s more common than people think. Plus, we’ll share some resources for anyone that might need them.
Here are some of the things you’ll learn on this show:
- How moral injury was first identified and the impact it has on nurses. [4:47]
- Second victim vs Moral Injury [12:38]
- What to do if you start to feel this? [18:45]
- The effects of COVID on MI [21:50]
- Can you step away from a situation you aren’t morally comfortable with? [27:40]
- Resources are available for anyone dealing with MI. [34:39]
Check out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
“It was originally described with medics and first responders in the military in Vietnam because of them seeing situations, and that’s really where moral injury really started its beginnings of being classified as a different type of psychiatric issue or condition. So you end up with people who disagree with the rationing of care and it starts to affect them to the point where they really lose interest in being in the healthcare arena anymore.”
-Jerry Hogan, DNSc, CRNA