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Moral Stress Amongst Healthcare Workers During COVID-19:

A guide to moral injury

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/ The Story

Moral stress, caused by working through a global pandemic, is hurting our frontline workers.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, first responders have been under intense stress making critical decisions like triaging life-saving care when resources are limited or postponing ‘non-essential’ care such as psychotherapy for patients with mental health conditions.

If this moral stress is not addressed, it can cause long term injury – moral injury.

We need organization, team, and individual supports for our frontline workers now.





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/ THE GUIDE

THIS GUIDE WAS DEVELOPED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE RANGE OF MORAL EMOTIONS ARISING FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

When we feel that we’ve done something wrong ourselves, we may feel guilt or shame. When we feel that someone else has done something wrong, we may feel anger or disgust. These feelings, if left unresolved, may lead to moral injury.

Moral injury refers to the psychological, social and spiritual impact of events involving betrayal or transgression of one’s own deeply held moral beliefs and values occurring in high stakes situations.

Now imagine you’re a first responder during the COVID-19 global pandemic.


View the Full Guide   View the Summary




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/ THE SUPPLEMENT

RACIAL INEQUITIES AND MORAL DISTRESS:

A SUPPLEMENT TO MORAL STRESS AMONGST HEALTHCARE WORKERS DURING COVID-19

The Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions is committed to being a leader in equitable and inclusive research and knowledge mobilization practices and is taking a partnership approach to community-based work. We know that population-based research and initiatives can be more relevant and meaningful and have more of an impact in communities when they are responsive to the community’s unique needs and values, informed by lived and living experience, and done in authentic collaboration with communities.

Beginning with the foundational work of the Guide to Moral Injury and this supplement, we are seeking to cultivate relationships and partnerships with associations, organizations, community leaders, and people with lived and living experience to co-design a project (or projects) that will enhance understanding of this emergent issue in healthcare in Canada.

As part of this process, we are open to invitations to partner, collaborate with or support associations and community organizations interested in enhancing our collective understanding of this emergent issue in healthcare in Canada. Please contact us at info-coe@theroyal.ca.


View the Supplement   View the Infographic


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/ RESOURCES FOR THE FRONTLINES

A WHOLE-OF-ORGANISATION APPROACH IS RECOMMENDED TO MITIGATE THE RISK OF MORAL INJURY.





COVID-19 Resource Directory for Veteran-Serving Organizations

Resources For Leaders and Peer-support Organizations In Development with Our Partners


COMING SOON: RESOURCES FOR LEADERS AND PEER-SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS IN DEVELOPMENT WITH OUR PARTNERS





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/ STAY INFORMED

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST TO STAY UP TO DATE ON PTSD AND MORAL INJURY RESEARCH.





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/ABOUT THE CO-CREATORS

A GUIDE TO MORAL INJURY WAS DEVELOPED AS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN PHOENIX AUSTRALIA – CENTRE FOR POSTTRAUMATIC MENTAL HEALTH AND THE CANADIAN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ON PTSD.



The Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Related Mental Health Conditions builds strong community networks to create the best possible supports and services for Veterans, first responders, and their families.

We bring people together, take what we all know about PTSD and mental health conditions and how to treat them, widely share that information, and ensure our collective knowledge is reflected in the work we do.



The concept of moral injury was born out of military and veterans research so we immediately recognized COVID-19’s potential mental health impacts. When we heard the stories of frontline workers, who are also serving veterans and their families or are veterans themselves, we knew we had to act.


Dr. Patrick D. Smith
Centre of Excellence on PTSD




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/ SHARE THE NEWS

DON’T FORGET TO SHARE THE NEWS ABOUT THE MORAL INJURY GUIDE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES, FAMILY, AND FRIENDS USING THE ICONS BELOW.