A Phenomenological Exploration of Physicians’ Moral Distress: Situating Emotion Within Lived Experiences

Abstract Purpose Physicians often experience moral distress from being prevented from taking what they believe to be the right course of action. Although causes and consequences of moral distress have been studied, little research offers insight into the significance of feeling morally challenged, especially in medicine. This study was undertaken to advance understanding of what physicians experience when encountering morally challenging situations and to examine how those experiences influence their interactions with the world of health care. Method Guided by hermeneutic phenomenology, the authors conducted semistructured interviews with purposefully sampled Canadian physicians from September 2022 to January 2023. Analysis used Van Manen’s 6 activities of hermeneutic research and included “story crafting” to sharpen insights. Late in that process, Van Manen’s “lived existentials” was determined to provide a strong framework for physicians’ experiences of moral distress. Results Of the 12 physicians interviewed, all experienced varied and long-lasting emotional reactions to morally challenging experiences. The emotions associated with moral distress, reported as inevitable, were experienced in ways that aligned with the lived existentials of body, space, time, and relations. Conclusions A richer understanding of physicians’ lived experiences with moral distress can help mentors and educators more thoughtfully engage in conversations about it with colleagues and learners. This study highlights the core dimensions of moral distress through body, space, time, and relations, thereby providing a means to enrich discussion about emotions and their transformational power. Through such nuanced consideration, calls for emotional candor may be strengthened to enhance practice by acknowledging the scope of impact that efforts to deliver care are likely to provoke.