[Nurses, nursing technicians and assistants: who experiences more moral distress?].

OBJECTIVE To identify the frequency and intensity of moral distress experienced by nurses, technicians and nursing assistants who worked in hospitals in the South of Rio Grande do Sul State. METHOD A survey research was conducted with 334 nursing workers from three institutions, through a questionnaire of moral distress. Constructs were validated through factorial analysis and Cronbach's alpha: lack of competence of the working team, disrespect to the patient's autonomy, insufficient working conditions and therapeutic obstinacy. RESULTS With descriptive statistics and analysis of variance, it was found that nurses and nursing assistants have higher perception of moral distress when compared to nursing technicians. Organizational questions and ways of communication influence lower perception of moral distress. CONCLUSION Implementation of actions to favor coping, decision making and autonomy exercise from those workers.