Moral Sensitivity of Interns and Affecting Factors

Abstract

Background: Moral sensitivity is thought to be the first step in real-life moral decision-making. In the field of health, which is seen as an ethically loaded practice, monitoring the ethical sensitivity of service providers is essential both in terms of service quality and ethical practice. This study aimed to determine the moral sensitivity and the factors that may be related to the moral sensitivity of interns.Methods: A total of 116 intern doctors who accepted to participate were included in the study without using a sampling method. In order to collect the data, a data collection form consisting of sociodemographic characteristics of the interns and Moral Sensitivity Questionaire (MSQ) was used. As the scores obtained from the scale showed normal distribution, Student's t-test was used for the comparison of two groups, and the ANOVA test was used for the comparison of three groups.Results: The mean MSQ total score of the volunteers participating in the study was 89.14. The moral sensitivity level was higher in women in total score, benevolence, and orientation subscale scores (p <0.05). According to the total score, autonomy, meaning, rules, and orientation subscale scores, the moral sensitivity levels of individuals with high-income perception were higher (p <0.05).Conclusion: The findings show that the interns’ moral sensitivity level is high-intermediate when the average Moral Sensitivity Questionaire scores are taken into consideration. The female gender and the perception of the high-income level positively affects the moral sensitivity of interns. Follow-up studies and qualitative research can be planned to clarify the reasons for this effect.