Study: Nurse work environment can prevent moral injury

A healthy work environment and moral resilience can mitigate against moral injury, a study published in the American Journal of Critical Care found. Conducted late during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study found 55.6% of 304 critical care nurses working at Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health System who responded to an online survey met the criteria for moderate to severe moral injury symptoms. Only nurses with 21 or more years of experience and those who engaged with chaplains nearly every day had average injury scores below the threshold for clinically significant symptoms. The study is the first to find frequent interaction with hospital chaplains is associated with significantly lower moral injury scores. Moral injury is prevalent among critical care nurses, particularly newer nurses. (Newswise news release, 3/1/26)