Violations of Health as a Human Right and Moral Distress: Considerations for Social Work Practice and Education

Abstract

Healthcare professionals may experience moral distress when navigating difficult positions in which acting or providing for their patient’s best interest may not be possible due to barriers outside of their control. This phenomenon has primarily been investigated within nursing and other clinical disciplines; however, experiences of moral distress have also been noted in the social work profession. Healthcare professionals, including social workers, may experience moral distress when witnessing violations of their patients’ human rights. This article discusses research reporting on experiences of moral distress within the social work profession, a reality social work students may also face during their field placements. Understanding the causes and effects of moral distress within the social work profession is important when preparing social work students as they transition into the workforce. Future research investigating moral distress should include the perspectives of social work field students, as their experiences are understudied. This phenomenon is especially important to investigate, as the current COVID-19 pandemic is expected to exacerbate health challenges.

Moral Distress Among Oncology Social Workers

“…OSWs tend to these aspects of personal suffering; however, different care expectations created by family preferences as well as power differentials and professional hierarchies within health care systems may constrain OSWs' ability to do what they consider to be the right thing in certain circumstances. 29 Although not evaluated here, it is possible that moral distress may be higher among care providers who do not operate as part of a team or collaborative care model. 5 Furthermore, as Fronek et al 30(p678) stated, moral distress among social workers was not simply a result of the allocation of resources; rather it was strongly connected to values, breaches of human rights, and discriminatory policies.…”