Futility and Nurses' Moral Distress

In the latest Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, Ruthie Robinson reviews studies that show medical futility is the leading cause of moral distress among nurses.  Nurses suffer moral distress because they "know the right thing to do" but institutional constraints make it nearly impossible to pursue that right course of action.  Quotes from the studies include:  "I often equate my job with keeping dead people alive." and "[I]t was like ventilating a corpse."  





Robinson also reviews several models for addressing inappropriate treatment at the end of life.  While obviously concerned to avoid and address distress, Robinson is most concerned with the loss of experienced nursing staff.  I might observe, here, that a non-insignificant fraction of students in my health law classes each year are critical care nurses seeking to move to compliance or legal work.