# Moral Foundations and Patient‐Centered Care in a Brazilian Maternity Ward: A Survey Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how health professionals' moral values relate to patient-centered care in a Brazilian maternity ward.

## Contribution

The study identifies a strong correlation between the moral foundation of purity and patient-centered care in healthcare professionals.

## Key findings

- Fairness and care were the moral domains with the highest median scores among health professionals.
- Purity showed the strongest correlation with patient-centered care.
- Moral foundations and patient-centered care are significantly correlated in this maternity ward.

## Abstract

To investigate the relation between moral foundations and patient‐centered care in health professionals who work in the delivery room and in the rooming‐in.

Single‐center quantitative survey study.

This survey was conducted in a Brazilian maternity ward. The Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ‐20) and the Care in Dialogue Competence Scale (CDCS) were administered to health professionals working in the delivery room and rooming‐in areas. Analysis included descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations. Data were analyzed using Stata version 19.0.

A total of 80 health professionals were included, and the median age was 34 years (IQR: 28.5–44). Cronbach's alpha of the MFQ‐20 was 0.8480, and CDCS was 0.8499. In the MFQ‐20, fairness and care were the domains with the highest median, and in the CDCS, communication and dialogue with the patient. MFQ‐20 and CDCS were correlated (0.54; p < 0.001). Purity presented the highest domain‐specific correlation with CDCS (0.48; p < 0.0001).

In this maternity ward, health professionals' moral foundations are correlated with patient‐centered care. Although fairness and care were the MFQ‐20 domains with the highest medians, purity was the domain most strongly correlated to CDCS.

Clinical practice requires health professionals to use moral dimensions that are part of their individual essence, and this can correlate with patient‐centered care, a dimension of quality care.

These results contribute to a better understanding of the relations between moral foundations and patient‐centered care in neonatology. By highlighting moral motivations strongly associated with patient‐centered care, we can strengthen it.