Avoidable suffering represents a preventable harm rooted in systemic failure rather than clinical diagnoses. This article examines the nurse leader's ethical obligation to identify and eliminate the process inefficiencies, communication gaps, and power imbalances that drive patient distress and workforce moral injury. Grounded in nursing theory, the authors propose operational frameworks to mitigate suffering across diverse practice settings. Crucially, this manuscript argues for elevating frameworks for avoiding suffering within professional credentialing and academic curricula. By reframing avoidable suffering as a measurable safety metric, nurse leaders can restore and strengthen the trust, compassion, and dignity vital to optimizing patient experience and outcomes.
Wymer et al. (2026) studied this question.