Abstract

Although moral distress have been studied in different fields of nursing, because the ambiguity of this concept, sometimes it has been replaced with other similar concepts. Hence, considering the context-related nature of this concept, the aim of the study was to conceptualize moral distress with a focus on its distinguishing features from other similar concepts. To analyze this concept, all of the published articles in Iranian databases and Google Scholar, CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, Ovid, and PubMed databases were searched. In this study, Wilson’s approach was used. It was determined that moral judgment and moral competence are two important features of moral distress which have an important role in distinguishing this concept from other similar concepts such as moral conflict and moral dilemma. By clarifying the concept of moral distress, nursing authorities could lay better plans for decreasing the negative effects of moral distress on nurses and patients increase the quality of care for patients and also increase job satisfaction among nurses. © 2019 JPR Solutions. All rights reserved.