Qualitative study of 3,860 Latin American nurses links pandemic violence to structural blame and moral injury
This qualitative study of 3,860 nurses documents how pandemic conditions exposed entrenched structural violence in Latin American health systems, manifesting as direct aggression, stigma, and moral injury from blame for systemic failures. Evidence quality is moderate, limited by self-reported written narratives without quantitative validation or control groups. Next studies need prospective cohorts with validated moral-injury scales and policy-intervention arms.
Policy responses must move beyond episodic training to enforceable staffing ratios and legal protections against scapegoating, while future interventional trials should test whether institutional ethics committees reduce moral-injury scores. Longitudinal cohort follow-up through 2028 is required to determine whether these experiences predict sustained workforce attrition above 25 percent in the hardest-hit countries.
Pan American Health Organization: By 2028, at least five countries will enact national nurse-protection statutes that reduce reported structural-blame incidents by 20 percent in annual workforce surveys.
Sources (2)
- [1]Primary Source(https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.70153)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01234-5/fulltext)