Published: 2026-06-30

The Emotional Vulnerability of Nurses Caring for People in Crisis: Ethical Challenges and Coping Strategies in Clinical Practice

Teresa Kania Profil ORCID autora Teresa Kania , Julianna Koczy Profil ORCID autora Julianna Koczy
European Journal of Health Policy, Humanization of Care and Medical Ethics
Section: Articles
DOI https://doi.org/10.21697/ejhp.0112.05

Abstract

A patient in crisis is an individual who, in response to intense or prolonged stressors – such as illness, trauma, or loss – experiences a breakdown of previously effective coping strategies. In clinical practice, caring for individuals in crisis places nurses in a position of emotional vulnerability. It requires not only adequately responding to the rapidly changing needs of the patient, but also confronting ethical dilemmas and employing coping strategies that allow them to maintain their emotional balance and deliver a high standard of care. The aim of this article is to identify the subjective experiences of nurses related to emotional vulnerability in their work with individuals in crisis, paying particular attention to emotional and organizational barriers, ethical dilemmas emerging in everyday clinical practice, and coping strategies that support the maintenance of care quality and the therapeutic relationship. To achieve this aim, a non-systematic review of the literature was conducted, along with a qualitative study using the method of in-depth individual interviews. Interviews were carried out with 12 nurses employed in healthcare facilities in the Silesian Voivodeship between November 1 and December 8, 2025. The data were analyzed using a vertical (case-oriented) approach. The findings indicate a high level of emotional burden among the nurses who participated in the study, as well as the enduring presence of an ethic of care despite organizational constraints. The respondents pointed to barriers hindering the implementation of patient-centered care, weak links between theoretical knowledge and the conditions of clinical practice, and a deficit of institutionalized psychosocial support. These results highlight the need to institutionalize emotional support for nurses, strengthen structural conditions conducive to the implementation of patient-centered care, and further develop communication and educational competencies that can be effectively
applied in high-paced clinical environments. Additionally, the promotion of the ethics-of-care paradigm as a framework for clinical decision-making may collectively reduce the accumulation of stress – including moral stress – while simultaneously enhancing the quality of care and the professional well-being of nurses.

Keywords:

nursing, crisis intervention, ethics, compassion fatigue
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