The Effectiveness of a Moral Motivation Program in Promoting Moral Sensitivity among Practicing Nurses

Background: Moral sensitivity is critical for ethical nursing practice, particularly in rehabilitation settings where complex ethical dilemmas are common. This study evaluated the effect of a moral motivation program on the moral sensitivity of nurses working in rehabilitation wards. Methods : A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study with a control group was conducted from May to October 2023 at Rofeidah Rehabilitation Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Twenty-seven nurses were purposively sampled and randomly allocated to an intervention (n=15) or control (n=12) group on the basis of ward assignments. The intervention group participated in a six-week moral motivation program, including two 2-hour in-person workshops and four weeks of virtual follow-up, with a focus on ethical principles and rehabilitation-specific scenarios. The control group received no intervention. Moral sensitivity was assessed via Lutzen’s Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ) at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. The Data were analyzed via repeated measures ANOVA. Results : Compared with the control group, the intervention group presented statistically significant statistically significant increases in moral sensitivity scores post-intervention (p<0.05), with sustained improvements at the one-month follow-up. No significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusion : The moral motivation program effectively enhanced nurses’ moral sensitivity, with sustained effects over one month. These findings support the integration of context-specific ethical training into nursing education to improve ethical decision-making in rehabilitation care.