Dr. Annette Callis, Director of Graduate Nursing, presented her latest research at the CACNS (California Clinical Nurse Specialist) Conference at the University of San Diego. This multi-site study examined Moral Injury (MI) and its impact on Self-Reported Work Performance in nurses from 7 hospitals (N=191). Moral injury is a construct whereby a person is obliged to commit acts in high stake situations that violate ones moral compass. Previous to the COVID pandemic MI had only been studied in the military.
Dr. Callis, along with Dr. Saul, Providence Nurse Scientist, found that increased levels of MI in nurses was a predictor of decreased work performance. This data provides evidence that in-hospital care programs for nurses that include sacred spaces (i.e., Tea for the Soul, serenity lounges), and provision for consistent break times with adequate staffing, are imperative to optimize nurse performance and patient care outcomes, as well as organizational outcomes.
View Moral Injury Presentation
Author: Dr. Annette Callis, Director of Graduate Nursing