CJCCN Volume 34, Number 1, Spring 2023

Historically, nursing has been a gendered profession. Still today, women dominate the nursing landscape. In 2019, the Canadian Nurses Association reported that 91% of Registered Nurses were female in Canada (Canadian Nurses Association, 2019, p.1). Given this strong female presence, it is disconcerting that nursing remains inequitable for women in 2023. Feminist theory explores the importance of women’s perspectives, social justice, and feminist values, providing the theoretical and philosophical groundwork for the progression of gender equality (Im &

Abstract

Moral distress is a common phenomenon found in all areas of nursing practice with a high prevalence in specialties such as critical care nursing. The under management of moral distress is associated with the development of burnout, issues with nursing turnover, and patient safety concerns. Identification of effective interventions to address moral distress remains a novel topic of investigation. The aim of this project was to explore the use of debriefings and reflective practices to address and alleviate moral distress.

Abstract

Communication with family members in critical care is challenged by socioeconomic, environmental, and organizational factors. Ineffective communication between health care providers and family members results in psychological distress and anxiety among family members and can lead to misunderstanding of the patient’s condition and ineffective decision-making. This manuscript aims to explore barriers to effective communication, understand standardized communication tools, and support their implementation in critical care. An extensive search of various databases provided a variety of articles meeting the criteria of communication barriers in critical care,