The relationship between icu nurses' attitudes towards professional autonomy and their moral distress levels

This study was a descriptive, correlational study that examined the relationship between intensive care nurses' attitudes towards professional autonomy and their levels of moral distress. The data were collected from 171 nurses working in the intensive care units of the Adıyaman Training and Research Hospital of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey, between March 1 and April 1, 2024. Data were collected using the Sociodemographic Information Form, the Attitude towards professional Autonomy for Nurses Scale, and the Intensive Care Moral Distress Scale. The data was analyzed using the SPSS for Windows 22. The total scores were 72.55±10.36 for the Attitude towards Professional Autonomy of Nurses Scale and 113.84±53.23 for the Intensive Care Moral Distress Scale. In the study, the nurses' attitude scale towards professional autonomy and the sub-dimension score of control over working conditions changed significantly with age (p<0.05). Nurses who followed professional publications and participated in scientific activities had significantly lower scores on the Intensive Care Moral Distress Scale (p<0.05) The study found a positive, low-level relationship between the nurses' attitude scale towards professional autonomy and the Intensive Care Moral Distress Scale, specifically the sub dimensions of independence related to work and autonomous clinical decisions. It was revealed that nurses' attitudes towards professional autonomy account for 7.7% of their moral distress levels. Based on these findings, it is recommended that institutions promote participation in scientific publications and activities to enhance nurses' professional development. Additionally, establishing committees to provide support for ethical decision making processes can help nurses effectively utilize their autonomy in the workplace. Keywords: Intensive care; Nurse; Professional autonomy; Moral distress