Perceptions of Moral Distress among Nursing Students in Relation to Organ Donation

Abstract

This was a pilot study as it used a newly devised survey tool to determine the views and attitudes of undergraduate nursing students to the shortage of organs for transplantation purposes, with this survey also gaining insight into any possible moral distress. The survey tool was distributed to 134 undergraduate nursing students who attended a mandatory nursing research course, with 104 (77.6%) participating. The data were analyzed through content analysis, with three main themes identified: right to life, impact on others, and emotions. A high level of moral distress among the participants were identified, which confirm the necessity of future studies on this topic.