Abstract
Healthcare providers in intensive care units face numerous moral distresses due to conflicts between professional principles, personal values, and the demands of patients' families. In contrast, family satisfaction is considered one of the important indicators for evaluating the quality of medical services. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between healthcare providers' moral distress and family satisfaction in intensive care units. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four intensive care units with the collaboration of 128 family members and 70 healthcare providers (16 physicians and 54 nurses). The samples were selected using an available sampling method according to the inclusion criteria. Data were collected using the moral distress scale and the family satisfaction-ICU questionnaire. The results showed that mean scores for the frequency and intensity of moral distress were 49.88 ± 3.25 and 62.27 ± 2.51, respectively, indicating a moderate level of moral distress among ICU healthcare providers. The mean FS-ICU score was 59.83 ± 3.19, suggesting a generally good level of family satisfaction. The results revealed a significant inverse relationship between the frequency of moral distress and family satisfaction. This indicates that as the frequency of moral distress among ICU healthcare providers increases, family satisfaction tends to decrease (P = 0.03, r = - 0.7). These results emphasize the importance of reducing moral distress in healthcare settings through organizational support, the development of specific ethical strategies, and strengthening the communication skills of the healthcare team. In order to improve the experience of patients' families, it is suggested that educational and support programs be designed for healthcare providers to increase their ability to deal with ethical challenges and provide quality services.