The relationship of ethical difficulty experienced by the nurses care of COVID-19 patients in a university hospital and the levels of burnout

THE RELATIONSHIP OF ETHICAL DIFFICULTY EXPERIENCED BY THE NURSES CARE OF COVID-19 PATIENTS IN A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND THE LEVELS OF BURNOUT In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of the moral distress faced by clinical nurses and intensive care nurses who care for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic process on burnout levels. In this context, a descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study was conducted. In this context, the effects of COVID-19 stressors and the psychological effects of these stressors on nurses on moral distress, issues related to moral distress and burnout levels experienced by nurses who care for their patients were investigated. In addition, recognizing and managing this distress, responding to moral distress, the effects of COVID-19's visiting restrictions on patients, families, and healthcare professionals, and suggestions for coping with moral distress are explained. In the study, a personal information form describing the sociodemographic and professional characteristics of nurses, and the "Moral Distress Scale" and the "Maslach Burnout Scale" were used. After this study, it was determined that the increase in depersonalization and emotional exhaustion decreased the personal success score, depersonalization and emotional exhaustion increased moral distress, moral distress did not affect personal success, and the number of caregivers decreased personal success. In addition, the fact that the person who takes care of the children of the nurses who care for COVID-19 patients during working hours does not affect the personal success depersonalization, emotional exhaustion and moral distress score levels on the nurses, and that the difficulties experienced by the nurses who care for COVID-19 patients in finding accommodation and caregivers in their children's day care are emotional. It was found to have a positive relationship with burnout. It has been concluded that there is no statistical relationship between the personal achievement, depersonalization, emotional exhaustion and moral distress score levels of the groups of people who lived during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Keywords: COVID-19, Nurse, Moral Distress, Burnout Level