Moral distress happens when someone knows the right thing to do but institutional constraints make it nearly impossible to pursue that course of action. Professor Molyneux will collaborate with colleagues and partners in various resource-limited settings to understand the causes and effects of this distress and to evaluate the effectiveness of institutional processes designed to minimize and manage it.
The main goals of this research are to create evidence-based guidelines that promote fairer international research practices, foster a more inclusive and innovative research culture, and strengthen research systems to enhance health system resilience.
Professor Molyneux’s professorship will be led from the Health Systems Collaborative in Oxford and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) in Kenya. It will be conducted in partnership with international networks, including the Global Health Bioethics Network, Health Systems Global, the Rebuild Consortium, the Oxford Pandemic Sciences Institute, and the Global Health Ethics & Governance Unit at WHO.
The work will involve reviews of relevant guidance and literature, in-depth empirical work centered around a series of international research case studies, and wider consultations with frontline staff, managers and funders.
The work will be divided into three broad phases:
- Better Characterising Moral Distress: designing tools to explore and measuring moral distress among frontline research staff.
- Implementing Change: co-designing, iteratively implementing and evaluating promising change processes
- Developing Guidance: progressing recommendations for funders, research leaders, and science/ethics reviewers aimed at reducing moral distress and managing its harmful effects.
Throughout the project, a 'frontline staff network' will provide input and advice.