Majid Ali Alotni

Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Title: Unethical Nursing Practices in ICU: Factors Contributing to Moral Distress and Potential Solutions

Biography:

Dr. Majid Ali Alotni is an Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. He holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of Newcastle, Australia, where his doctoral research focused on implementing the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) across six intensive care units using a stepped-wedge controlled trial design. His scholarly interests center on critical care nursing, pain management, evidence-based practice, and nurse-led interventions. Dr. Alotni has published and presented internationally in the fields of clinical pain assessment, nursing education, and artificial intelligence integration in healthcare. He is also leading several ongoing studies, including cross-sectional and psychometric investigations into nurses’ readiness for AI adoption and the quality of nursing care in Saudi hospitals. Beyond research, Dr. Alotni actively contributes to academic leadership and quality assurance at Qassim University, where he plays a key role in program accreditation, faculty development, and strategic planning aligned with the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) standards. He is an ACLS and BLS instructor, a graduate of the Oxford Leadership Executive Program, and a passionate advocate for professional growth, innovation, and international collaboration in nursing education and practice.

Research Interest:

Unethical Nursing Practices in ICU: Factors Contributing to Moral Distress and Potential Solutions Background: ICU nurses often face complex ethical dilemmas, leading to moral distress and unethical practices. This integrative review aims to identify factors contributing to unethical practices and potential solutions (Ahmad et al., 2024). Methods An integrative review was conducted based on Whittemore and Knafl's approach. Search of nursing databases, included CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus, was conducted using keywords such as "moral distress," "ICU nurses," and "ethical ." The search yielded 754 articles, with 704 excluded after title and abstract screening. A total of 50 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 15 articles met the inclusion criteria. Results The review outcomes showed nurses in ICU encounter variety of challenges leading to unethical practices. Poor staffing, limited support, and ambiguity were mostly founded factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has also created additional ethical challenges. Education, organisational and colleagues support, and organizational culture change work as solutions for such challenges. Conclusion This review concluded that there is need for healthcare organizations to prioritize ethics and provide support for nurses to promote ethical practice. By handling factors and implementing solutions, health care organisations would improve nurse well-being and patient care quality. Keywords Moral distress, ICU nurses, ethical conflict, unethical practices, solutions.