RWTH Aachen University - Human Technology Center, Aachen, Germany.
Bioethics. 2019 Jun;33(5):601-608. doi: 10.1111/bioe.12564. Epub 2019 Feb 7.
Moral distress in healthcare has been an increasingly prevalent topic of discussion. Most authors characterize it as a negative phenomenon, while few have considered its potentially positive value. In this essay, I argue that moral distress can reveal and affirm some of our most important concerns as moral agents. Indeed, the experience of it under some circumstances appears to be partly constitutive of an honorable character and can allow for crucial moral maturation. The potentially positive value, then, is twofold; moral distress carries both aretaic and instrumental value. Granted, this position is not without its caveats, but by making these clear, I provide a novel framework for policy recommendations regarding when, if ever, we should work to reduce moral distress.
医疗保健中的道德困境一直是一个日益受到关注的话题。大多数作者将其描述为一种负面现象，而很少有人考虑其潜在的积极价值。在本文中，我认为道德困境可以揭示并肯定我们作为道德主体的一些最重要的关注点。事实上，在某些情况下，它的经历似乎部分构成了一个可敬的品格，并可以促进至关重要的道德成熟。那么，潜在的积极价值是双重的；道德困境既具有伦理价值又具有工具价值。诚然，这个立场并非没有其警告，但通过明确这些警告，我为关于何时（如果有的话）我们应该努力减少道德困境的政策建议提供了一个新的框架。
