Moral Distress in Healthcare Providers Who Take Care of Critical Pediatric Patients throughout Italy—Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Italian Pediatric Instrument

Chiara Grasso, Davide Massidda, Karolina Zaneta Maslak, Cinzia Favara-Scacco, Francesco Antonio Grasso, Carmela Bencivenga, Valerio Confalone, Elisabetta Lampugnani, Andrea Moscatelli, Marta Somaini, Simonetta Tesoro, Giulia Lamiani, Marinella Astuto and on behalf of the MoDiPerSaPerCI Group
Additional contact information
Chiara Grasso: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, A.O.U. “Policlinico-San Marco”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Davide Massidda: Kode, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Karolina Zaneta Maslak: A.O.U. “Policlinico-San Marco” Psychotherapy, 95123 Catania, Italy
Cinzia Favara-Scacco: A.O.U. “Policlinico-San Marco” Psychotherapy & LAD ONLUS, 95123 Catania, Italy
Francesco Antonio Grasso: Department of Pediatric Anesthesia, Sidra Medicine, Doha P.O. Box 26999, Qatar
Carmela Bencivenga: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit—A.O.R.N. Santobono-Pausilipon, 80129 Napoli, Italy
Valerio Confalone: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit—Pediatric Emergency Department, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Institute for Research and Health Care (IRCCS), 00165 Rome, Italy
Elisabetta Lampugnani: Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Critical Care and Perinatal Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
Andrea Moscatelli: Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Critical Care and Perinatal Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
Marta Somaini: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, ASST GOM Niguarda Ca’ Granda, University of Milano Bicocca, 20162 Milano, Italy
Simonetta Tesoro: Section of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Intensive Care, Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
Giulia Lamiani: Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Marinella Astuto: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, A.O.U. “Policlinico-San Marco”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
on behalf of the MoDiPerSaPerCI Group: MoDIPerSaPerCI (Moral Distress nel Personale Sanitario che si occupa dei Pazienti Pediatrici Critici in Italia) Group collaborators: Catania: Serena Brancati, Marta Mascari; Genova: Camilla Micalizzi; Milano: Giorgio Chevallard, Cristiana Cipolla; Perugia: Alessandra Valletta, Carlo Pettirossi; Roma: Chiara Bochicchio, Gabriella Bottari.

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Background: Although Moral Distress (MD) is a matter of concern within the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), there is no validated Italian instrument for measuring the phenomenon in nurses and physicians who care for pediatric patients in Intensive Care. The authors of the Italian Moral Distress Scale-Revised (Italian MDS-R), validated for the adult setting, in 2017, invited further research to evaluate the generalizability of the scale to clinicians working in other fields. Our study aims to reduce this knowledge gap by developing and validating the pediatric version of the Italian MDS-R. Methods: We evaluated the new instrument for construct validity, then we administered it in a multicenter, web-based survey that involved healthcare providers of three PICUs and three adult ICUs admitting children in northern, central, and southern Italy. Finally, we tested it for internal consistency, confirmatory factorial validity, convergent validity, and differences between groups analysis. Results: The 14-item, three-factor model best fit the data. The scale showed good reliability (a = 0.87). Still, it did not correlate with the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization sub-scales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) or with the 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 2) or the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). A mild correlation was found between the Italian Pediatric MDS-R score and intention to resign from the job. No correlation was found between MD and years of experience. Females, nurses, and clinicians who cared for COVID-19 patients had a higher MD score. Conclusions: The Italian Pediatric MDS-R is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring MD among Italian health workers who care for critically ill children. Further research would be helpful in better investigating its applicability to the heterogeneous scenario of Italian Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Keywords: moral distress; Italian Pediatric Intensive Care; cultural adaptation; Scale Validation; occupational well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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