Moral injury in clinical and academic medicine—it is time to act

TL;DR

This paper addresses moral injury among doctors, a serious issue caused by ethical conflicts in healthcare and academia, and suggests ways to prevent and address it.

Contribution

The paper introduces actionable strategies to prevent and address moral injury in clinical and academic medicine.

Findings

Moral injury in healthcare extends beyond burnout and causes significant distress.

Moral injury can result from both active and inactive behaviors that contradict ethical values.

The paper provides practical suggestions to prevent and address moral injury in medical settings.

Abstract

When doctors working within healthcare systems under pressure perpetrate, witness, or fail to prevent acts that contradict their own moral or ethical values and expectations, it can lead to moral distress or moral injury. This can result from active behaviour and from purposeful inactive behaviour. It is a growing and critical concern, representing significant distress that extends far beyond traditional concepts such as burnout. This article discusses moral injury in clinical and academic medicine and actively gives suggestions to prevent and address moral injury.