[Moral distress and leadership in nursing].

While nursing staff learn the rules of ethical behavior in nursing education programs, they commonly experience confusion, frustration and stress in practice settings due to barriers to moral action faced in the work environment. "Moral distress" is a term used to describe the situation in which a decision-maker cannot carry out an ethical or moral action due to the presence of an obstacle. In this article, we described the meaning of and factors influencing moral distress in nursing work settings in relation to nursing leader management strategies. Goals of the article were to help nursing leaders appreciate their personal beliefs as well as to develop strategies to alleviate emotional distress and promote self-efficacy among nursing staff members. One favorable benefit is expected to be greater retention of nursing staff.